Statement of the Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia (SRP) on Trump’s tariffs.
The socio-economic policy of the capitalist powers, led by the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump, has once again shown its destructive nature. The latest tariff measures, imposed by the Trump administration on global trading partners, serve nothing more than to preserve the hegemony of American imperialism and exploit the working class around the world. These measures are just a continuation of a long-standing practice whereby wealthy elites are further enriched at the expense of the working people, while at the same time undermining international cooperation.
Trump’s tariff measures are not only an economic assault on the working class, but also a blatant violation of international legal norms, including Article 2 of the Constitution. “North Atlantic Treaty”, which emphasizes the obligation of members to “develop peaceful and friendly international relations” and to “cooperate in economic development in order to avoid conflicts”. The United States, as a key member of NATO, with its unilateral tariffs on the EU — an ally within the same pact — exposes the hypocrisy of imperialist powers that use military-political alliances solely to protect the narrow interests of big capital, and not for collective security or economic development. This violation of NATO agreements only proves that “transatlantic partnerships” are the empty rhetoric of imperialism, where cooperation is imposed only when it serves the domination of the strong over the weak.
NATO has always been a tool for projecting the power of the United States and its allies, which is especially evident in the aggression against FR Yugoslavia in 1999, which violated international law under the pretext of “humanitarian intervention”. Today, Trump’s tariffs confirm that the same mechanisms are being used for economic dominance, where trade deficits are turned into an excuse to destabilize “partners.” While HDZ MEPs are calling for “building bridges” with Trump, SRP points out that such submission is part of a broader problem of Croatia’s servitude to NATO, which is just an extension of US imperialism.
The US, although formally advocating the “free market”, uses tariffs to protect its corporations, while imposing neoliberal reforms on the EU that destroy the welfare state. For example, Croatian employers are already promoting the reduction of social benefits and the deregulation of labor in response to the crisis, which is a direct consequence of the pressure of global capital. This dynamic reveals that “international rules” exist only when they favor the strong — while workers’ rights and the sovereignty of peripheral countries are ignored.
The tariffs that the United States imposes on the European Union, as well as other countries, are nothing more than an attempt to cover up a deep systemic problem of the American economy with the crisis of global capitalism — huge public debt, inequality, and a failed “free market” model that favors corporations at the expense of workers. Trump, as a representative of big capital, uses protectionism to protect the interests of American elites, while at the same time escalating trade conflicts that threaten the living standards of ordinary citizens.
Croatia, as a peripheral member of the EU and NATO, has long suffered the consequences of subordination to the interests of more powerful powers. Trump’s tariffs will only deepen our country’s dependence on volatile markets, especially in key sectors such as pharmaceuticals and information technology, where exports to the United States are on the rise. Instead of facing these challenges through collective solidarity, the EU responds with measures that will hit workers and the poor the hardest.
The European Union, which presents itself as a defender of free trade, is itself part of the same system that generates inequalities. Its countermeasures, including threats to restrict American digital corporations, will not solve structural problems, but will serve to further concentrate power in the hands of corporate oligarchies.
The Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia calls on workers, trade unions and progressive forces to reject the false alternatives offered by the capitalist elites. The only way to real economic security is to build a socialist society, based on equality, solidarity, cooperation and workers’ control over the means of production. We support the struggle of all peoples against imperialist pressure and war.
Trump’s tariffs are not an isolated act, but a symptom of a sick system that we must bring down together. The SRP will continue to advocate for the dissolution of NATO, the withdrawal of Croatia from imperialist alliances and the construction of an economy that serves the people, not profits. Only an organized struggle of the working class can stop the spiral of crises imposed by the capitalist elites.
SRP calls for resistance to all forms of economic and political imperialism. The only way out is international solidarity of the working class and the construction of a socialist society that puts human needs before profit.
https://dalmatinskiportal.hr/vijesti/srp-kritizira-trumpove-carinske-mjere/232915
Zagreb, April 4, 2025 – Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia
Statement of the Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia (SRP) on Trump’s tariffs
