The EU–US trade agreement is once again at the center of heated debate, with critics now calling it Europe’s capitulation, an astonishing yet rather harsh label.
According to Josep Borrell, former head of the EU’s diplomatic service, the trade deal signed between the European Union and the United States at the end of July will bring more benefits to Washington than to European countries.
“But I think it’s the result of a poor strategy—more a surrender than a negotiation. It follows the old strategy of bullies,” Borrell stressed. “It gives the impression of weakness and submission to Trump’s demands,” he added.
Borrell argued that the 15% customs tariff agreed upon was nothing more than a concession. “The US threatened 30 percent tariffs, then offered 15 percent, and we’re expected to be grateful,” he remarked.
Previously, Trump launched a trade war against 185 countries. In April, the base import tariff was set at 10%, but for Washington’s key allies, including the EU, the rate was much higher. After announcing the trade war, the White House gave itself a 90-day pause before imposing prohibitive duties on imports from 75 countries. Trump expressed hope that compromise deals could be reached during this period.
By the end of last month, the two sides struck an agreement. The key terms required European countries to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy products and for the EU to invest $600 billion in the American economy. Against this backdrop, the 15% tariff was seen by experts as the best outcome Brussels could have hoped for in talks with Washington.
