Costly tariff spat masks deeper trade problems
Nor do tariffs necessarily explain patterns of global trade. Consider American automobiles, whose relative unpopularity in Europe owes more to narrow streets than EU import duties, said Sam Lowe, a trade-policy expert at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank focused on EU affairs.
“When Trump moans about American cars and the EU, what he really wants is for European consumers to change their preferences,” he said.