Phoenix 24
The tariff war never truly disappeared.
Brussels, May 2026. European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič urged the United States to quickly restore the original terms of the EU-US trade agreement after new tariff tensions threatened to destabilize transatlantic commerce again. Brussels is demanding a return to the previously negotiated framework before the dispute escalates into a broader industrial confrontation.
The pressure intensified after Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on European automobiles, arguing that the European Union had moved too slowly in implementing parts of the agreement. The dispute has reopened fears of a new transatlantic trade war at a moment when Europe is already facing energy instability, military tension and industrial slowdown.
Behind the diplomatic language lies a deeper structural conflict. Washington increasingly treats trade as a geopolitical weapon tied to strategic leverage, industrial security and political alignment. Brussels, meanwhile, is attempting to preserve market stability while defending its regulatory sovereignty against unpredictable shifts from the White House.
The automotive sector remains at the center of the confrontation. Germany would be among the countries most exposed to higher U.S. tariffs, making the negotiations particularly sensitive for Europe’s industrial core. At the same time, divisions inside the European Union complicate the response, with some governments demanding stronger safeguards against future American pressure while others prioritize rapid compromise.
The dispute signals a wider transformation in the global order. Trade agreements are no longer stable economic frameworks; they are becoming flexible instruments of coercion, pressure and strategic bargaining. What Brussels fears most is not only the tariff increase itself, but the normalization of permanent uncertainty in transatlantic relations.
Contra la propaganda, memoria. / Against propaganda, memory.