[bill1952]

GM is a red herring, simply put forth to exclude our farm products.

Their communist unions will never permit fair trade, let alone free trade, unless they are forced to. - Fat chance.

As other posters have pointed out, the EU has issues on literally everything - even fish.

Even Kyoto. - Some EU ministers wanted to place punitive tariffs on everything from America after we dumped Kyoto, claiming that we would have an unfair advantage.

The EU has no clue as to what "free trade" really means, and that is one reason China is cleaning their clocks.

Merkel is right to be concerned about the Dragon.

[1rudeboy]

GM is a red herring, simply put forth to exclude our farm products.

I agree. But it is not a per se trade violation, as long as the ban is consistently applied.

[wolf78]

The EU has no clue as to what "free trade" really means, and that is one reason China is cleaning their clocks.

Sorry, but that is bullsh*t. Just like there's a ban on genetically modified crops in the EU, the US doesn't allow cabotage for European airlines, and there are ownership restrictions with regard to American carriers as well. Free trade - my *ss.
Yes, the EU has tariffs on certain US products, just like the US slapped tariffs on European steel to protect American companies from (at that time) superior competitors.

While you are completely right with regard to farm subsidies, the rest of your statement again proves the worth of anecdotal evidence: none at all.

[Rummenigge]

well the EU is second in protectionism to the US and given the fact that we still export to much labour to China that's a point where we have to catch up.

(referring to the huge subsidies on cotton, the penalty custom taxes on steel and the decissions on port facility sales, since you might ask)

Boeing vs Airbus is called competition - both are given huge infusions of our tax payers money.

The UAW is NOT a european union - yet it is a socialistic structure of quite a size and influence.