Title:Europe Rules Out Generous Quotas As Solution For Trump Trade Dispute

By Jorge Valero

(EurActiv) — EU leaders demanded on Thursday (17 May)  "permanent"  and  "unlimited"  exemption from US President Donald Trump's tariffs as a precondition for any trade negotiation with his administration, including market access.

欧盟领导人星期四（5月17日）要求“永久”和“无限”地免除美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的关税，以此作为与包括市场准入在内的政府进行任何贸易谈判的先决条件。

The 28 heads of state and government discussed late on Wednesday in Sofia (Bulgaria) how to respond to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium.

周三晚，28位国家元首和政府首脑在索非亚（保加利亚）讨论了如何应对特朗普对钢和铝征收的关税。

The leaders supported the Commission's preliminary talks with the US Administration, but insisted on not starting proper trade negotiations unless an unconditional exclusion is granted.

双方领导人支持委员会与美国政府举行初步会谈，但坚持认为，除非无条件地予以排除，否则不能开始适当的贸易谈判。

"The EU is ready to talk about trade liberalization with our American friends but only if the US decides an unlimited exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs" , European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters after the conclusion of the Sofia summit on Thursday.

“欧盟愿意与我们的美国朋友谈论贸易自由化，但只有美国决定无限制地免除钢材和铝价”。欧盟理事会主席唐纳德·图斯克星期四在索非亚首脑会议结束后对记者说。

"I have to be very clear, and I am repeating myself by saying it: we want an unlimited exemption from the proposed tariffs,"  insisted European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker during the same press conference.

“我必须非常清楚，我在重复自己的发言说：我们要无限制地免除所提议的关税，”欧盟委员会主席容克在同一次记者招待会上坚称欧盟委员会（European-Claude Juncker）主席容克（Jean-Claude Juncker）。

One of the options floated during the discussions between the EU and US trade teams was to impose generous quotas on the metals to escape the penalties and avert a trade war.

在欧盟和美国贸易团队讨论期间，提出的一个选择是给金属规定慷慨的配额，以逃避惩罚，避免贸易战争。

The quota could be higher than last year's steel and aluminium exports to the US. But various officials and diplomats were sceptical about this option because of the impact it could have on European producers and the legality of the quotas themselves.

这一配额可能高于去年美国钢铁和铝的出口，但许多官员和外交官对这一选择持怀疑态度，因为这会对欧洲生产商以及配额本身的合法性产生影响。

The White House adopted the tariffs on the grounds of national security, an argument the EU disputes, in part because the US and Europe are NATO allies.

白宫以“国家安全”为由实行了关税，欧盟对此存在争议，部分原因是美国和欧洲是北约盟国。

An EU diplomat said that  "unlimited"  meant no quota,  "that is our reading" . A quota was still illegal, and the EU  "cannot accept something illegal" .

一位欧盟外交官说，“无限的”意味着没有配额，也就是我们的解读。配额仍然是非法的，而欧盟“不能接受不合法的东西”。

If no solution is found by 1 June, Trump says he will impose a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium from EU countries. Europe is ready to respond with its own countermeasures, including tariffs on iconic US products such as Levi's and Harley Davidson.

如果6月1日没有找到解决办法，特朗普说，他将对欧盟各国的铝征收25%的关税，10%的关税。欧洲准备采取自己的应对措施，包括对莱维和哈雷·戴维森(Harley Davidson)等美国标志性产品征收关税。

Trump's ultimate goal is to reduce the trade deficit with Europe that stood at €120 billion in 2017.In recent weeks he has threatened German carmakers with fresh tariffs if both sides fail to find remedies.

特朗普的最终目标是减少2017年欧洲1,200亿欧元的贸易赤字，最近几周，如果双方不能找到补救办法，他就用新关税威胁德国汽车制造商。

The Commission had prepared a four-point strategy to convince US and avoid a trade war. Juncker won the leaders' support for his plan in Sofia.  "The EU will not negotiate with a gun at its head" , an EU official said to summarise the mood in the room.

欧盟委员会制定了一项四点战略，以说服美国并避免贸易战争，容克赢得了双方领导人对索非亚计划的支持。一位欧盟官员表示：“欧盟不会以枪弹头进行谈判。”

The EU executive's proposal included talks to deepen energy cooperation in the field of liquefied natural gas; voluntary regulatory cooperation, as both sides sounded out during the failed free trade agreement negotiation; a solution to overcome the current blockade of the WTO's Appellate Body nominations; and to improve reciprocal market access, especially for industrial products, including cars, and liberalisation of public procurement, an EU source explained.

欧盟执行长的提议包括：会谈深化液化天然气领域的能源合作；自愿监管合作，正如双方在失败的自由贸易协定谈判期间所表明的那样；欧盟消息来源解释说，解决目前对世贸组织上诉机构提名的封锁问题的解决方案；以及改善对等市场准入，特别是包括汽车在内的工业产品的市场准入，以及公共采购的自由化。

A reduction of the tariffs for US cars in Europe, as part of the review of market access, would be possible only if the EU lowers the charges for all WTO members or as part of a new free-trade agreement with Washington, according to WTO rules.

作为审查市场准入情况的一部分，只有欧盟降低所有世贸组织成员的费用，或者根据世贸组织规则，作为与华盛顿达成的新的自由贸易协定的一部分，才能削减欧洲的美国汽车关税。

Germany is the country most supportive of relaunching trade talks with the US, given its export volume and the threats to its automotive industry.

德国支持重启与美国的贸易谈判，因为其出口额和对其汽车工业的威胁。

Berlin flagged the option of a free trade agreement-lite with the US, including only tariffs, in order to placate Trump's concerns.

为了安抚特朗普的关切，柏林提出了与美国缔结自由贸易协定的选择，其中仅包括关税。

According to diplomatic sources, the strengthening of energy cooperation to facilitate US LNG exports to Europe also came from Berlin.

据外交人士透露，加强能源合作以促进美国向欧洲出口液化天然气也来自柏林。

But other big member states, including France and The Netherlands, opposed this conciliatory approach with the unpredictable US president.

但法国和荷兰等其他大国则反对这一调解方式与无法预测的美国总统。

An EU diplomat said that Germany wants to find a quick way out of the dispute, but the group of sceptics is more concerned about the long-term relationship with the Trump Administration.

一位欧盟外交官表示，德国希望尽快走出争端，但怀疑者团体更关切与特朗普政府的长期关系。

"We are not so sure about whether this administration wants to have a win-win situation,"  the official added on condition of anonymity.

“我们不清楚这个政府是否希望有一个双赢的局面，”这位匿名的官员补充说。