Tariffs: Automobile components believe that the announcement is a “negotiating argument”

José Couto, president of the Automotive Manufacturers Association (AFIA), told JE that "the announced 30% tariff may never come into effect; it will be yet another negotiating argument" that Donald Trump is using against the European Union. "We don't know the expiration date of the letter sent to the European Union," especially since there have been previous instances where Trump announces tariffs that later don't materialize. In other words, for José Couto, it's possible that the 30% tariff now announced could be reversed by August 1st, "especially since this would also be very penalizing for the Americans."

"The letter is a negotiating argument; we don't want to believe that negotiations will close at 30%. If that happens, it means there will be no agreement at all. We need to understand how far the European Union can go," he concluded.