The EU defends its commercial agreement with Trump

A “good” compromise or a capitulation against Trump? The European Union (EU) sought to defend its trade agreement for the United States on Monday, which sparked very contrasted reactions from capitals and large industries.

I am convinced that this agreement is better than a trade war with the United Statessaid European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, who has negotiated this agreement for months with the Trump administration.

Mr. Sefcoviv stressed that he went to Washington 10 times with his teams to find an outcome to this commercial dispute. He argues that higher customs duties would have put up to 5 million European jobs in danger.

This is obviously the best agreement we could obtain in very difficult circumstancesadded this commissioner responsible for talks with Washington on behalf of the 27 Member States.

Sealled by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Donald Trump on Sunday, the agreement provides for a 15 % tax on European products exported to the United States.

It is much more than the rate in force before the return to power of the American president, but much less than what the republican billionaire threatened to impose on the old continent, for lack of agreement.

A “capitulation” …

But the agreement has already made several capitals jump.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou accused Europe of submit in the United States, deploring a dark day.

For the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, very critical of Brussels, Donald Trump made only a bite of the European Commission, responsible for negotiating this trade agreement on behalf of the 27 Member States.

It looks a bit like a capitulationNote Alberto Rizzi, analyst with the European Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFR). The agreement accepted by theUE East fairly unbalancedsays the expert at theAFPseeing there a Political victory for Trump.

This commercial partnership was even mocked by Moscow, who made fun of the consequences very hard for European industry.

… or a “good agreement”?

The president of the European Commission, on the contrary, said that it was a good agreement that would bring stability Consumers, investors and industrialists on both sides of the Atlantic.

The agreement allowsAvoid unnecessary escalationestimated the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. He avoids a scenario potentially devastatingadded the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

In Brussels, we admit that the negotiated agreement places Europeans in a less good posture than before. While hammering that other options – even higher customs duties or uncertainty around the lack of agreement – would have been much worse.

And for good reason: the two main commercial powers on the planet exchange nearly 4.4 billion euros in goods and services every day.

European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic stressed that he had gone to Washington ten times with his teams to find an outcome to this commercial dispute, and that higher customs duties would have put up to 5 million European jobs in danger.

Like the European capitals, the world scholarships have also reserved a mixed reception for this agreement, evolving without real enthusiasm.

For the European automobile lobby, one of the industries most affected by these customs duties, this agreement thus marks a de -escalation welcome to a context of severe uncertainty.

Agreed customs duties remain too highaccording to German chemistry, which represents industrial giants like Bayer or Basf.

Ils illustrate the difficulty that theUE to assert the power of its economy and the importance of its internal marketsaid the first French employers’ organization, Medef.