The European Union and the United States are negotiating a trade framework that would harmonize vehicle regulatory standards across both markets. The move aims to reduce barriers to cross-Atlantic vehicle trade and address low overseas sales of large American trucks. European urban design and pedestrian-focused infrastructure make large American trucks impractical, expensive, fuel-intensive, and difficult to drive on many European roads. Arbitrary tariffs and trade tensions have already disrupted global auto markets and strained international business relations. Regulatory harmonization could enable production of smaller, cheaper electric vehicles suitable for both markets and expand consumer access to affordable EVs.
It's no secret that the Trump Administration has thrown the global auto markets into turmoil. Slapdash and ill-advised methods of trying to stymie the advancement of Chinese automakers, all while re-shoring jobs via the willy-nilly application of arbitrary tariffs, have only made things pretty tense for anyone running a big business. No doubt, the world is getting tired of unpredictable back and forth; they're all trying to figure out a way to re-establish the status quo before everyone goes broke.
The European Union and the United States are working on a new trade agreement, and one of the biggest bombshells in the framework is something that's never been done: uniting the vehicle regulatory standards between the two entities. That's a pretty big deal, one likely pressed on by the U.S., since low sales of American-made large trucks overseas have become a huge sticking point and sound bite for international relations for the White House.
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