The new customs agreement – both praise and criticism from Sweden
Stockholm – Criticism has come from several quarters within the EU since the USA and EU reached an agreement on a new tariff deal.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says he feels “both ways” about the tariff agreement. That the USA’s tariffs against the EU are now the highest in 70 years is “fundamentally bad,” according to Kristersson. Lower tariffs “would have been much better.”
“On the other hand, it is an agreement that lands at significantly lower levels than those that there was a risk of,” he tells TT.
“It creates predictability for Swedish companies that dare to make investments.”
Kristersson believes that most people in Europe think it was most important to get a deal done, precisely so that companies dare to make new investment decisions.
Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson says in turn that the agreement is bad for the Swedish economy.
“The tariffs lead to reduced demand and lower growth, with the risk of even higher unemployment,” she says.
But she also thinks it is good that an agreement has been reached. The uncertainty in recent months has taken a toll on both Swedish growth and households and businesses.
The EU’s chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic has defended the agreement and told reporters on Monday that it was “the best we could get under very difficult circumstances.”
(July 28)
