this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2025
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406
Calls grow louder for Europe to deploy its ‘Big Bazooka’ in tariff negotiations (www.irishtimes.com)
submitted 2 days ago by cosmicrookie@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world
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[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

EU should be deploying the bazooka on American tech anyway. American business patterns are abusive and predatory completely ignoring public good and privacy concerns. Its past the time to be sitting on hands in reining them in. Force them out and replace them with local businesses that follow the rules.

The same goes for the EU's stance on gaza-- we are well past the "wait and see" stage of anything and into delays being little more than paid corruption and implicit genocide support.

Trump is right on one assumption, the EU is as weak and ineffective on these matters as he is. The larger EU markets are like baby birds with their mouths open waiting for the US to vomit food into their mouths.

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 65 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What some countries don't seem to realize is that it's a bluff on the part of the orange failed abortion. He knows that he can't really sustain tariffs because prices would really rise, and a massive recession would kick in, so he bluffs by delaying the dates.

Also, don't forget that a major part of the tariff declarations are pushed by his billionaire handlers and his family, to crash markets and buy in a fire sale. It's the most blatant and highest scale insider trading scheme ever.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

Also, don’t forget that a major part of the tariff declarations are pushed by his billionaire handlers and his family, to crash markets and buy in a fire sale. It’s the most blatant and highest scale insider trading scheme ever.

Pretty sure this is why he is fucking over federal aid for disasters. Hurricane wipes out a bunch of "poor" houses on the south-east seaboard, his billionaire buddies buy up the properties for pennies on the dollar, and then Trump is going to re-instate disaster aid to help clean up affected areas while taking about how the coast used to look so beautiful, and it's Biden's fault that all those people got forced out of their homes. Wealth transfer complete, and we even pick up the bill for rebuilding all the infrastructure on for the billionaires.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

He knows that he can’t really sustain tariffs because prices would really rise, and a massive recession would kick in, so he bluffs by delaying the dates.

Does he? Or does he just think the markets panic for no reason every time he tries?

People close to him have said tariffs being good for the economy is like a pathological fixed belief he has.

[–] e461h@sh.itjust.works 2 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

His primary concern is ‘fuck you, pay me’. He’s running the country like a wannabe mob boss. It’s the default position to every issue and why he changes positions (someone paid him).

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Man, if it was that easy then China and the West would be having a much better time, and Israel a much worse time (since the Gulf countries are also rich).

[–] e461h@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 hours ago

They have reasons and clout to push back, while Israel is treated as an extension of the US. Not saying consistency is a strong suit tho, idiocy is also a factor.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 87 points 2 days ago (1 children)

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 48 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Sir, your /ich_iel is leaking

[–] Havald@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (2 children)

German subs don't leak

[–] jaupsinluggies@feddit.uk 1 points 17 hours ago

Sie lecken, wenn die Vorderseite abfällt.

[–] Hupf@feddit.org 0 points 23 hours ago

Ve schließen an 🇩🇪

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 195 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The anti-coercion instrument, known as the “big bazooka” of the EU’s trade arsenal, would give the commission powers to go after US multinational companies, slapping extra taxes on the digital revenues of tech firms.

[–] Protoknuckles@lemmy.world 145 points 2 days ago (1 children)

PLEASE do. Maybe that will get enough companies pissed at him that they push him and his support out.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 33 points 2 days ago

Agreed.

Our own government isn't doing anything to stop him. Let Europe do something to stand in his way.

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 50 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

And the very next line:

This is a major escalation the Irish Government wants to avoid.

Have they tried going back to before they were a crooked tax haven for unethical corporations? I knew as soon as they decided to be a tax shelter that they would become what I believe the Br*tish call, "A cunt in the machinery."

[–] paranoia@feddit.dk 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Have they tried going back to before they were a crooked tax haven for unethical corporations?

1209 North Orange Street in Wilmington alone evades more tax than Ireland.

It's lovely to throw stones, but you're in the most delicate glasshouse of them all.

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I support the Global Tax Agreement but think it's a little too lenient. A real 15% tax would do way more for everyone except the corporations than a 15% tax with loopholes allowed. So I'm not exactly sitting in a glass house?

I don't think EVERY country should impose those rates but any "first world" country needs to. let the developing world impose lower rates or even incentives if that's what works for them but if the economy is roaring along lets get some of that wealth into the public coffers.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

Then the tech firms raise prices in the EU. That's what happened to Canada and Canada backed down. The only difference is the EU may want to encourage their own tech companies to grow.

[–] Mio@feddit.nu 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Of course EU want our own tech companies. It would benefit us all. At minimum competition. Digital soverntity. And this is also what EU will do no matter what Trump does. Trump broke the chain of trust. Unacceptable.

[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If the EU gives more incentives to their companies, US tech firms will come back begging like little bitches to claim EU domicile.

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 14 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What people don't seem to realize is that the US effectively subsidizes the digital sector by means of minimal taxation. The EU should tax the fuck out of US tech companies, and incentive European alternatives and especially FOSS.

Oh,and Ireland (country that I love, btw), get rid of the parasitic sector, wich may bring in money, but also fucks up your country. See housing, for example.

[–] ThisIsDys@europe.pub 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I don't know how we've been getting record corporate taxes year after year (to say nothing of our income taxes on the higher salaries tech companies pay thousands of Irish employees), and yet:

  • Infrastructure remains shit and underdeveloped
  • Inequality of development, amenities, and pay between Dublin and everywhere else gets worse every year.
  • We've failed to build a solid bedrock of homegrown companies to replace the fragile reliance on MNC employment and corporate taxes.
  • Pension age bomb is still ticking

I maintain that low corporate taxes are, unfortunately, crucial for underdeveloped nations to have any hope of investment coming to their shores. It sucks, but it massively contributed to Ireland crawling out of desperate poverty. And we never did anything sustainable with that good fortune, to say nothing of being too scared of them leaving to not reset the tax rate to something fairer now that we have other benefits for MNCs beyond low taxes (eg: we're one of the most well educated countries in the world now). If US giants leave Ireland, there's gonna be a shitton of unemployed people and we don't have anywhere internally for them to take their expertise.

Edit: None of this, BTW, says the EU shouldn't smack them hard as a counter. Out government has fucked us with decades of "ah sure it'll be grand". No reason the whole EU should be held back just for us.

The EU will be held back in this because those same corps have immense political weight more than anything tbh.

[–] insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

And data centers.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

If there's one thing we've learned from tariffs, companies are surprisingly willing to eat extra costs in the short-term, and tariffs taxes are taken much closer to the end consumer

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Do the leaders in the EU also have stock in all the big tech companies like Carney does?

[–] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 103 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Any trade deal they strike with Trump is illusory and not worth the paper it's written on. See, e.g., what happened to the NAFTA deal Trump signed during his first administration. The EU should refuse to play his games and quietly start dumping their substantial holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds.

[–] Old_Bald_Bloke@feddit.uk 8 points 1 day ago

Sell them to China

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 42 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yes, I don't see how they don't see that. I get trying to drag it out while opening other markets, but as china showed, he responds to shows of strength. There I no point negotiating in good faith. He won't honour it.

Europe should not be looking at what's the best way to trade with the USA, but look at what's the best way to support European companies being alternatives to the USA monopolies.

That's Trunos plan for the USA. Europe has an opportunity to take the lead and spread worldwide while other countries have the same issue.

If the large blocs, like EU can't stand up to Trunos tariffs, smaller countries have no chance and that is to everyone's detriment. If the EU stands up, china stands up, then medium economies like Canada and Australia can stand up too. He only has leverage when people are divided.

[–] ubik@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Unfortunately, the Germans are in charge, and they will do whatever it takes to protect their interests, even if it means screwing everyone else, as it happened in 2011.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 17 points 2 days ago

The thing is, it's not in their interest. You can't make a reliable deal with the USA and while you try, you're losing ground to others.

Germany tried making deals with Putin and failed Europe. You'd think they'd have learned their lesson.

[–] SupahRevs@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Growing Rheinmetall is good for Germany isnt it? Could there be other German companies that replace US products?

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago

Don't negotiate with terrorists.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sell USA bonds.

[–] NotSteve_@piefed.ca 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's the nuclear bomb that I think every country is holding off using (for now)

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

That would be an embargo. This is more akin to sustained shelling between friends.

[–] EldenLord@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Maybe, but selling bonds would hurt the US more than other countries because of their high federal debt (if I‘m not mistaken).

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

Among other reasons yes. Canada lead original sell off will likely accelerate and obliterate 10 year bonds.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sell the ~~houses~~bonds to whom, fucking aquaman? (But really, who wants to buy bonds from a country with absolutely zero rule of law?)

[–] qaz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That's the point. Dumping US bonds on the market lowers their price, forcing the US to renegotiate at a higher interest rate.

When aquaman is the only buyer, the US is fucked due to their enormous debt.