EU trade boss tells Trump that reviving borders, trade barriers is doomed to fail
Brussels — EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom has vowed to press on with market-opening deals a day after US President Donald Trump abandoned the 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade agreement. "Those who, in the 21st century, think that we can become great again by rebuilding borders, reimposing trade barriers, restricting people’s freedom to move — they are doomed to fail," said the European trade commissioner on Tuesday. "Building a wall is not the answer." Trump on Monday signed an executive order axing US participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the largest proposed regional trade blocs to date. The EU expects the imminent entry into force of a free-trade accord with Canada, is close to wrapping up talks with Japan, and pursuing other commercial deals, including with the US. Rejecting Trump’s protectionist stance, Malmstrom said: "The election of Donald Trump seems likely to put our EU-US negotiations firmly in the freezer at least for a while. "Yet even if the US is our m...
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