2 hrs ago
Belgian PM Criticizes Arbitrary Tariffs, Praises India-EU Trade Deal
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever spoke about trade during a meeting in Mumbai.
Trade is when countries buy and sell goods and services to one another.
He criticized governments that raise tariffs or other barriers without a clear reason.
He joked about countries that make a trade decision on Monday and change it a few days later.
He did not say Donald Trump's name, but his comments were understood as a criticism of US trade policies.
De Wever supported open and predictable markets.
He praised the India-EU Free Trade Agreement as a way for India and Europe to become stronger during difficult times.
Indian and Belgian officials also discussed ports, defence, technology, clean energy and logistics.
India and Belgium have set a goal of doubling their trade over the next five years.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever criticized countries that impose and quickly reverse tariffs without economic logic.
Although he did not name Donald Trump, De Wever's remarks were widely framed as a veiled criticism of US tariff policies.
De Wever said the India-EU Free Trade Agreement would strengthen resilience against disruption and economic coercion.
The agreement was presented as covering a market of 2 billion consumers and about a quarter of the world economy.
India and Belgium also discussed ports, logistics, maritime connectivity, defence cooperation and plans to double bilateral trade within five years.
- Who
- Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever addressed Indian and Belgian business representatives alongside Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
- What
- De Wever criticized arbitrary and shifting trade barriers, praised the India-EU Free Trade Agreement and discussed broader India-Belgium cooperation.
- Where
- The India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue in Mumbai, India.
- When
- Friday, during De Wever's three-day official visit to India; he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
- Why
- De Wever argued that predictable trade and the India-EU agreement could improve economic resilience and reduce vulnerability to disruption and coercion.
Supporters of Open, Rules-Based Trade
Advocates of Protectionist Trade Barriers
Tariffs and market access
Supporters of Open, Rules-Based Trade
De Wever called for open, predictable markets and criticized tariffs imposed or withdrawn arbitrarily and without economic logic.
Advocates of Protectionist Trade Barriers
The article describes growing calls in some countries for higher barriers, closed markets and tariffs, but does not provide a detailed justification from those advocates.
India-EU trade agreement
Supporters of Open, Rules-Based Trade
De Wever and Fadnavis said the agreement would build trust, strengthen trade and make India and Europe more resilient to disruption and coercion.
Advocates of Protectionist Trade Barriers
The articles do not provide a direct opposing assessment of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
Attribution of tariff criticism
Supporters of Open, Rules-Based Trade
The reports frame De Wever's comments as an apparent or veiled criticism of US President Donald Trump's changing tariff policies.
Advocates of Protectionist Trade Barriers
De Wever did not name Trump directly and presented his comments as a broader criticism of governments that change trade decisions unpredictably.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever
- Event
- India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement
- Location
- Mumbai
- Trade agreement
- India-EU Free Trade Agreement, described by De Wever as concluded in January
- Agreement scale
- A market of 2 billion consumers and a quarter of the world economy, according to De Wever
- Trade target
- India and Belgium aim to double bilateral trade over the next five years
- Other cooperation
- Defence, clean energy, technology, ports, logistics and maritime connectivity
Quotes
Bart De Wever
Belgian prime minister speaking at the India-Belgium high-level dialogue in Mumbai
“More and more voices today are calling for barriers to go up, for markets to be shut off, for tariffs to be imposed. Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday, and they reinstall it on Saturday.”
indianexpress.com
deccanchronicle.com
“In January we concluded one of the most far-reaching free trade agreements in the world, the mother of all deals, a market of 2 billion consumers, a quarter of the world economy.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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