That's what friends are for

The Association of Harley-Davidson Authorized Dealers thanks everyone who stood by the US motorcycle manufacturer in the trade conflict between the USA and the EU

(Frankfurt, November 25, 2021) They have the longest-standing democracy in the world - and they are the home of Harley-Davidson : the United States of America. Democracy means that rule comes from the people. And in addition to regular elections, there are plenty of ways to do this, including, for example, signing petitions on web platforms like Change.org against things you find unfair.

Well over 13,000 people made use of this option when the EU announced further punitive tariffs against the actually uninvolved manufacturer Harley-Davidson in the trade conflict with the USA. All in all, a 56 percent customs duty would have led to a situation that threatened the existence of around 300 authorized dealers and their approximately 5,000 employees in the EU, as well as to fewer and more expensive Harleys in Europe.

The US motorcycle manufacturer and its European fans are now breathing a sigh of relief because the issue is off the table. The EU and the USA came to an agreement and settled their trade conflict. From January 2022, Harley-Davidson – like other manufacturers – will again pay six percent customs duties on every motorcycle imported into the European Union.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all those who signed our petition on Change.org and expressed our concern that competition in Europe could be so drastically distorted,” says Matthias Meier, board member of the German-Austrian and European associations the Harley-Davidson dealer. And he adds: “What would Harley-Davidson be without its loyal fans and customers who always stand by their brand even in tough times?”

But in the comments on Change.org, in addition to the loyal fan base, you can also find countless signatories who simply found the whole thing to be massively unfair: They signed because they consider the processes to be irresponsible and purely arbitrary, you read there. “Harley today, and who’s next tomorrow?” asked another signatory.

“We would therefore like to thank not only the international Harley community, but also all friends of free trade – no matter which brand they prefer and whether they even ride a motorcycle,” adds Meier. “On both sides of the Atlantic, Harley-Davidson dealers are now really looking forward to the 2022 season and fair competition between motorcycle manufacturers.”

Text & image credits: Sassenbach/Harley-Davidson Association