On Saturday 29 April, the American President, Donald Trump, signed an executive order addressing 'trade agreement violations and abuses', which will, if upheld by the American Senate, ask Trade Secretary Wilbur Ross and Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer to review all trade agreements signed by the United States and the consequences of their accession to the WTO, to determine the causes of their commercial deficit.
The report, which is to be published within 180 days, will focus on the agreements themselves, not on the behaviour of the countries, and will shed light on the problems and also the alternatives, Ross explained, adding that the possibility of seeking amendments to these agreements had not been ruled out.
At the end of March, Trump signed two executive orders aiming to identify the causes and countries responsible for the American trade deficit. They look at the US's partners in the North American free-trade zone (NAFTA) - Canada and Mexico - but also China and other major industrialised economies such as Germany, France and Italy of the EU (see EUROPE 11760). Trump recently also confirmed his threat of renegotiating the NAFTA agreement. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)