中新网北京11月19日电(蒋鲤)据法新社报道，近日，欧盟各国财政部长在布鲁塞尔召开会议表示，美国无视欧盟对其《通胀削减法案》的担忧，或导致欧盟采取报复措施。
2021年6月15日，拜登在布鲁塞尔出席美国欧盟峰会时发表讲话。美国总统拜登于今年8月签署《通胀削减法案》，部分条款涉及美国政府为本土电动车产业提供高额补贴，并将进口电动汽车排除在补贴名单之外。此举将大幅提高美国对新能源和电动汽车产业的吸引力，吸引欧洲企业迁往美国。
针对这些不公平条款，欧盟竞争事务专员玛格丽特·韦斯塔格尔(Margrethe Vestager)上月表示，“原则上，美国不应该拿这个来对抗朋友。”法国总统马克龙和德国总理朔尔茨此前也表示了对美国做法的担忧。朔尔茨更是发出警告称，美方做法可能引发“一场巨大的关税战”。
美国不惜违反世贸组织规则，凭借不公平手段在市场竞争中占据更多优势，损害欧盟就业和经济增长，可能导致双方在新能源产业补贴方面的摩擦升级，进而打击欧盟与美国在多个领域开展合作的信心。
此前，受乌克兰危机影响，美国拉拢欧洲盟友对俄罗斯实施严厉制裁，导致欧洲深陷能源危机。与此同时，美国趁机高价向欧洲出售液化天然气，从中赚取巨额利益。尽管欧洲为努力减少对俄依赖寻找替代方案，但现实却是，欧洲对能源的依赖依然存在，美国却成了这场危机的最终赢家。
如今，能源价格持续高企，欧洲企业正常生产活动遭受冲击，制造业面临困境，《通胀削减法案》势必使更多欧洲企业将生产转移至美国，使欧洲经济雪上加霜。
美国坚定奉行“美国优先”原则，一方面拉拢欧盟与自己共同对抗“外敌”，一方面为维护自身利益又不惜牺牲盟友利益，这是美国的一贯作风，其早已从欧盟不可或缺的“盟友”变成了“损友”。
若美欧双方无法就这些矛盾达成共识，欧盟采取的报复性措施恐将引发新一轮贸易战。
EU threatens retaliation in response to U.S. Inflation Reduction Bill
By John Lee
(ECNS) -- The European Union (EU) has threatened to take retaliatory measures against the U.S. over electric car subsidies that favor domestic manufacturers, according to an AFP report.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Bill into law in August, which includes state aid for electric cars made in North America and support for U.S. battery supply chains, making the U.S. more attractive to European enterprises in the new energy and electric car industries.
The EU's competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, said last month that “as a matter of principle, you should not put this up against friends,” as reported by the Financial Times. Both President of France Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed their concerns over related clauses. Scholz even warned the U.S. that the bill may trigger a tariff war.
Risking a breach in international trade rules, the U.S. has won more advantages in market competition, which will harm European employment and economic growth. This could escalate the friction between the two sides on subsidies for new energy industries, undermining the EU’s confidence to cooperate with the U.S.
Previously, affected by the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. wooed the EU to impose severe sanctions on Russia, resulting in the EU being trapped in an energy crisis. Meanwhile, the U.S. took the chance to sell liquefied natural gas to Europe at a high price and earn huge profits.
The EU has been trying to find energy alternatives to lower its dependence on Russia, forcing it to look to the U.S. as a new energy supplier.
Today, energy prices in Europe remain high, which has hit the normal production activities of its countries and put their manufacturers in a dilemma. The Inflation Reduction Act is bound to cause more European enterprises to transfer their production to the U.S., exacerbating the difficulties facing the European economy.
The U.S. firmly adheres to the principle of “America First.” On the one hand, it draws the EU to fight against "foreign enemies," while on the other hand, it does not hesitate to sacrifice the interests of its allies to safeguard its own interests. The indispensable EU ally has become its "harmful friend."
If the two sides fail to reach a consensus on these contradictions, the EU may take retaliatory measures, likely triggering a new trade war.
