Trump can and should drive a harder bargain on EU trade talks

Free trade benefits Americans and the world. But free trade must be just that, free. It cannot be free on one side and obstructed by shadow protectionism on the other. And that's what I fear new U.S. trade talks with the European Union would produce.

On Monday, the European Commission (the European Union's executive body) authorized talks with the U.S. to remove tariffs on industrial goods and promote trade conformity rules. But while the conformity rule negotiations are positive, offering a chance to remove wasted compliance costs in trade and promote new trade opportunities, the EU's plan is far from perfect.

For a start, the EU has ruled out including the agricultural sector in the talks. That reflects the overriding French interest in ensuring its agricultural sector remains protected from American farmers. And that EU restriction means that beyond soybeans, this deal would mean the U.S. losing out on a key export growth potential. Reflecting its desire to distract the U.S. away from the French-motivated protectionism, the EU on Tuesday published data on the increasing importation of U.S. soybeans. It wants President Trump to think we already have a great deal. But this is deception.

There are other issues here.

For one, while the World Trade Organization last week ruled against the EU in its outsize subsidy provision to the Airbus airline manufacturer, it's not at all clear whether the EU will end those subsidies.