The joint statement of Juncker and Trump is well received by both sides in general. .The Alliance of Automobile manufacturers said the announcement “demonstrates that bilateral negotiations are a more effective approach to resolving trade barriers, not increasing tariffs.” German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier tweeted that “breakthrough achieved that can avoid trade war and save millions of jobs! Great for global economy.”
But Eric Schweitzer, president of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce appeared to be a bit skeptical. He said “the proposed solutions move in the right direction, but a significant portion of scepticism remains.” He emphasized that “only united as Europeans do we have sufficient economic and political weight to effectively represent our interests.” And Schweitzer warned that “without strong European answers, there is a danger that only we will make concessions and in response face new unreasonable demands from the USA.”
