‘We are not in the business of tit-for-tat or penny for penny’, says EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič
  • BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    15 days ago

    This is a nonsense. The drinks industry don’t want bourbon tariffs in the hope that will mean there won’t be tarrifs on EU booze. But there are blanket tarriffs on all EU products, so relenting on Bourbon specifically will do nothing but benefit the US drinks industry.

    Robert Habeck is right - the EU is in a position of strength standing together and should target any response to most hurt the US President.

    The US will have blanket tarrifs which are essentially a tax on Americans. The EU can’t directly affect those but it also should not have blanket tarrifs on US goods as that will just damage the EU economy further. Instead it should have targeted tarrifs and other measures designed to hit the US (particularly republican states - thats why bourbon was picked in the first place), and meanwhile work with other tariff hit countries to lower the cost of business in their directions.

    One way to look at it, is if its now 20% more expensive to sell resources and goods to the US, its actually 20% relatively cheaper to do business with the rest of the world. So thats where growth is going to come from. Tarrif US stuff that strategically benefits Europe (cars for example), don’t tariff other US stuff so the EU benefits and look to the rest of the world for growth and opportunities.

    In some ways the US is handing the EU a golden opportunity to take over much of the US economic influence and power around the world.

    • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      11·
      15 days ago

      Sherry makers in Jerez need US oak barrels for sherry as others are pricier and not the same in terms of flavor.

      Scotch producers use both bourbon and sherry barrels so they especially dont want these tarriffs

      • federal reverse@feddit.orgMEnglish
        1·
        15 days ago

        Overall, this seems like a minor issue in the kerfuffle but I thought about this, probably a bit too long …

        • Are the empty barrels even affected by tariffs on bourbon? Are you just worrying there may not be enough barrels overall because bourbon demand dries up?
        • Is the barrel question time-sensitive? Or could they just wait until EU & US have finished coming to terms with each other?
        • Would people even notice if their spirits were aged in neutral barrels but with wood chips thrown in for flavor? Would that produce a naming issue (i.e. the EU forbidding these products from being sold as sherry or scotch?
        • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          2·
          15 days ago

          Are the empty barrels even affected by tariffs on bourbon? Are you just worrying there may not be enough barrels overall because bourbon demand dries up?

          both

          Is the barrel question time-sensitive? Or could they just wait until EU & US have finished coming to terms with each other?

          They could wait but it would impact production overall spiking the prices even more including outside the ISA for sherry and Scotch.

          Would people even notice if their spirits were aged in neutral barrels but with wood chips thrown in for flavor?

          Most would as you would get more of he overt wood flavor and less of things like butter, cream, cocoa, nutty flavors that barrels impart.

          Would that produce a naming issue (i.e. the EU forbidding these products from being sold as sherry or scotch?

          Neither require bourbon barrels they just use them because they are less expensive than other oak barrels.