The government is still analyzing the details of the agreement that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed on on Sunday evening, but Dousa notes that the United States is now introducing the highest tariffs against Europe in nearly 70 years.
The agreement means 15 percent import tariffs on the majority of goods from the EU. But there are some bright spots:
"Certain goods, including chemicals, certain agricultural products, and critical raw materials will be completely duty-free. Car exports will get lower tariffs, and pharmaceutical exports will not get the brutal tariff increases that the United States had previously threatened, which was important for Sweden in the negotiations," says Dousa.
"Averts unnecessary escalation"
Dousa says that the government will now work hard to open up new markets for Swedish companies.
"If we were to sign free trade agreements with countries such as India, Indonesia, Argentina, and Brazil, it could cover 75 percent of the reduced US exports. When the US closes itself off, Europe needs to open up."
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes the tariff agreement. He says that the agreement "avoids unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations".
Relief for the automotive industry
"We have managed to maintain our fundamental interests, although I had wished for more relief in transatlantic trade," he says in a statement.
Merz says he is particularly relieved for the German automotive industry, which before Sunday's agreement was heavily affected by 25 percent import tariffs from the United States.
Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni says she is positive about the EU reaching an agreement with the United States, but that she also needs to see the details of the agreement, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.
