Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, sees the European Union as a major beneficiary of the tariff ruling.
He told “Spiegel”: “Trump’s new tariff is only temporary and lasts a maximum of 150 days; afterwards he’ll need Congress. Already, the U.S. president has far less leverage to impose new duties, whether Ukraine is involved or not, making the situation far more predictable”.
Posen recommends a strategy he calls “slow walking”. He advises the EU to adopt a passive‑aggressive posture toward the United States, to refrain from implementing what has already been agreed upon, and to contest many small points in a very polite manner. “Remain firm and play for time” he says.
According to the Harvard‑educated economist, this approach buys the continent crucial months to work constructively on other fronts-such as negotiating new trade agreements or finalizing the Mercosur deal.
He also stresses that Europe must seize the opportunity to attract talent that is no longer keen on the United States-professors, young researchers, AI developers-and to draw in capital fleeing the weak dollar and America’s uncertain fiscal climate. If Trump is eventually forced to rely on Congress to push through his plans, that presents another chance for Europe.
Last Friday the U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of the tariffs that Donald Trump introduced during his second term. In response, the EU temporarily suspended the ratification of its tariff agreement with Washington while Trump announced a worldwide 15 percent duty.
