How Can We End the Economic War?

Since the beginning of 2018, the US administration has implemented several measures limiting trade with their partners – especially China hit not only by tariffs but also by decisions limiting technology transfers.  Europeans have so far been affected by US tariffs on steel and aluminium. All this has fuelled retaliation and has escalated in high trade tensions at the global level.

A new series of US sanctions retaliating to European subsidies to the aircraft industry, announced in April 2019, is still in the waiting room: the WTO arbitration is expected next summer. Lastly, the US administration released in February 2019 an investigation in the car industry concluding that European competition is a threat to US national security. US President should make a decision on automobile by mid-May 2019, which would immediately induce European retaliation. How can one put a halt to such vicious circle of tit-for-tat protectionist measures?