• qyron@sopuli.xyz
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    30 minutes ago

    I’m not great on economics but the concept of a tariff is that the entity importing something has to pay an extra levy in order to place in a market a given product.

    This follows that an american importer of any trade goods of european origin will have to pay an extra thirty cents for each dollar such goods cost.

    That extra cost will then be passed along the commercial chain, down to the final client.

    So, prices go up for general public.

    Meanwhile, nothing is stopping the country of origin of such products to divert their business to other countries, thus maintaining their normal activities.

    Am I wrong or this whole thing is disastrous for the USA?

    • Benedict_Espinosa@europe.pub
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      14 minutes ago

      It is indeed bad for US businesses and consumers, and therefore for US economy in general, but as US market is so big and important, it’s also bad for countries doing business with US, including in Europe, like, for example, German carmakers or French and Italian alcohol exporters.

  • Redex@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    Calling Ursula her “excellency” sounds so weird to me, but apparently that’s correct for foreign officials?? Would never have expected that.

    • ragas@lemmy.ml
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      2 hours ago

      I would have thought it would be “her stopsignness” or “her smsremoveress”.

  • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 hours ago

    What a load of cringe.

    And that second to last sentence is just the cherry on top of the pile of shit. Everybody is already severely disappointed.

    By the way: Does anyoen know if it’s even appropriate to call Von der Leyen “Her Excellency”? It sounds pretty weird to me.

    • qyron@sopuli.xyz
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      55 minutes ago

      Formal addressment.

      It is an archaic way to address “officials” in public office, which ends up sounding as a preservation of royal/nobility occupation of positions, regardless living in a democratic regime.

      It is argued as being a way to show respect and maintain dignity of institutions.

      If want to write a letter to my municipal office, there is a template to be followed which starts with “To his/her Excelency, The President of the Municipality, Mr./Mrs. Dr. XXXXXXX”. This is loosely translated, obvioulsy.

      Democracy yet not equality nor accountability.

  • Kate-ay@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    What is even fucking going on? It feels like a child touching random shit on their parents phone, opening apps and accidently calling and buying things. Meanwhile the rest of the world just goes wtf.

  • Elvith Ma'for@feddit.org
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    14 hours ago

    These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country.

    First, what the fuck is that random capitalization?

    Second, so your giving us in writing, that these tariffs may will be modified at will if you feel so.

    Third, which country are you talking about? Europe is a continent. EU is a union of independent countries/nations.

    • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.org
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      32 minutes ago

      As much as I fucking despise this shitbrick orange hitler, the capitalisation is standard in my limited experience, in legal documents it is common to treat an established concept as a proper noun to make it explicitly clear what you are referring to.

      There may be a passage near the start which says something along the lines of “the proposed 30% trading tariff, herein referred to as the Tariff” or “the European Union trading area, herein referred to as the Country”. (In this case those passages don’t exist but I think the capitalisation still makes sense)

      Equating the EU with Country is absolutely batshit insane though.

      AMERICA NUMBER 1 YOU’LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED (if your expectations are already on the floor)

    • dzsimbo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 hours ago

      At first I thought it might be a standing point for Orbán to point out that they want this (but the bad EU, yadda yadda), but after actually reading that garbage of a propaganda piece, I can only imagine that part is boiler-plate, and noone along the chain caught it or could be bothered with correcting it.

      Trump is serving up the distmantling of most US soft powers. Like how is this not a game of chicken for us to bunch up on Ireland and tell them no more fucking around with appl and alphabet. I’d love nothing more than a third level bureaucrat tucked away in Strassbourg to calculate exactly how much societal and global harm these companies cause. We could shift that into dollars (somehow?), and make sure they pay that tax, or we start filtering their sites. I rarely believe restriction is the way to go, but nothing would really be lost here.

    • Microw@piefed.zip
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      10 hours ago

      It’s a bit delusional to say that EU countries are truly independent. Yes, any country can independently decide to leave the union – but as long as you’re part of it, you give up parts of your independence.

      • qyron@sopuli.xyz
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        45 minutes ago

        The EU is very strange. Yes, there is a global unifying policy but countries still have a wide autonomy.

        Portugal has specific trade and travel agreements with individual countries, outside the wide EU policy. Other countries do this.

        In this specific situation, we already know it will be the bloc handling as a whole the issue. Spain has already stated that all commercial tariffs must be addressed to Brussels, as it is part of the common external relations policy. But individual countries can add their twist to end.

      • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de
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        7 hours ago

        Parts, sure, but they also still have separate foreign policy apart from trade. As seen in the American War on Afghanistan for example.

        • plyth@feddit.org
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          4 hours ago

          The news talk about Kallas, not foreign ministers. Things have changed since Afghanistan.

    • Kissaki@feddit.org
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      1 hour ago

      In his first presidency, he started contracting pens specifically for this. It’s a big signature that is very visible when he holds up his signed letter to the cameras after signing. It’s a deliberate performance, with an absurd signature for that gesture and good pictures.

      Just look at this absurdity

      Every. Time.

      /edit: New England Firm Makes President Trump’s Pens (YouTube) 1:20, 8 years ago

    • huppakee@feddit.nl
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      10 hours ago

      What does it even say in the first place. I know it should include either D or Donald and either T or Trump, possibly include J or whatever J stands for. The last teo letter look like ld, but the ones before look like rum, as if he just put something together like DumnldJTummmmld.

    • rem26_art@fedia.io
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      13 hours ago

      honestly, if you handed him a fountain pen, i don’t think he’d figure out how to use it.

  • Lumidaub@feddit.org
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    14 hours ago

    I can’t decide what’s the best worst best most stand-out part, I keep coming back and rereading.

    You will never be disappointed with The United States of America.

    Are you selling us a car?

    Therefore, we invite you to participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.

    We’d absolutely LOVE to but unfortunately we have to wash our hair. So sorry. Next time, for sure. Love you, kisses!

  • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    They need to stop pussy-footing around with Trump.

    He says 30, they need to reciprocate with 60 percent, and will back down to 20 when he cancels the 30.

    Make it permanently harmful to threaten this bullshit.

    • Benedict_Espinosa@europe.pub
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      5 minutes ago

      Unfortunately Europe can’t very well afford to play hardball with him - not just because it’s economically harmful to Europe, but also because Europe wants to keep at least some sort of foreign policy and military alliance and cooperation going in the midst of the war in Ukraine.

      So EU already scrapped the plans of digital tax, giving Trump a win and gaining exactly nothing from this. There is still hope that Europe will pressure him at least a little bit - but not much hope, I’m afraid.

    • dzsimbo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 hours ago

      It would be more appropriate from Europe to count all the environmental harm corpos like Cocacola get away with and simply start taxing based on the extra strain they cause to society. Give a number and just not budge. It is not hard to deal with this man.

    • Gsus4@mander.xyz
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      10 hours ago

      They are better than namba 1…at this rate they’re going to become namba zero.

      • Eril@feddit.org
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        11 hours ago

        It’s so much back and forth all the time, that I don’t even know anymore what the current tariff rate is. 10%? None? Probably not even worth remembering though, because it changes all the time randomly anyway

        • Kissaki@feddit.org
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          1 hour ago

          It’s a negotiation tactic. It doesn’t even matter what it “is right now”, because it’s not in effect, and not established.