It’s like part of the luxurious complex Of Turnberry, Scotland – Pyzy Golf Land of the US President, which was formalized this last minute agreement this Sunday, July 27, between Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and US President Donald Trump.
On this subject, the tone is particularly severe through the rhine. Der SpiegelThe EU is presented to the US President in this commercial agreement. The editorialist of Berlin, Michael Sauga, does not put on his words:
According to him, “in the name of La Paz, they abandon the values and principles that until now considered sacred. (…) Before the agreement, the EU was determined to defend the world legal order. Today, it is clear: the EU has sold.”
According to Der Spiegel, economists provide losses from 0.1 to 0.2% of the gross domestic product in Germany. Figures that represent an additional brake in the economy of the largest industrialized country in Europe. This observation illustrates a growing frustration in Germany, the first European industrial power and a great automotive exporter, particularly affected by the US decision.
On the side of the great German Economic Daily Handelsblatt, we also divide a Vitriol editorial. For editorialist Torsten Riecke “the rebalancing sought by Ursula von der has taken place, and the balance has clearly reversed Europe.”
“Despite its economic power, the EU could not negotiate a better result than Japan, he believes. And compared to the United Kingdom, which maintains an almost balanced trade balance with the United States, Brussels has obtained very worse results.”
“The treatment is unequal”
On the Swiss side, time adopts a tone that is analytical and worried. Returning to the turns and negotiations, the newspaper evokes a skillful staging orchestrated by Washington:
But behind the diplomatic theater, a question persists:
“The EU had to bandage more muscles?” Ask for the moment, citing economist Olivier Blanchard, the former IMF, who considers Brussels lacking firmness in this commercial confrontation. Switzerland, who is not a member of the EU, is in a waiting position and great uncertainty against this reconfiguration of transatlantic flows.
For Belgium: “The agreement is unequal” and Italy underlines “a purely political decision”
The Daily Soir de Brussels does not hide its disappointment: “The agreement is unequal,” writes Philippe Régnier emphasizing that the union “opens its markets” with zero customs rights, while Trump unilaterally imposes a price of 15 %.
“We are far from the ‘zero proposal for zero'” formulated by the EU last April. At the end of this force test, the newspaper Le Soir He points out that “the law of the strongest won,” however, he said that Europe has “limited breakage” (the 15 % that replaces the feared 30 %).
The Belgian newspaper also highlights a fear: these taxes could certainly feed the US treasure, but also increase the cost of living in the United States with unpredictable side effects. A critical but more moderate tone than is found in the free Belgium, which qualifies the customs tasks of 15 % as “a new hard blow.” Ursula von der Leyen, tried to make “good figure” along with Donald Trump, says the newspaper. She defends a “non -insignificant” commitment, but appeared as “less worse” in a context of extreme tension.
In Italy, the tone is alarmist. Economic means EconomyUnder the pen of the journalist Giuseppe Sarcina denounces an unbalanced agreement that acts a triplicate of customs duties “without credible economic justification” and denounces the fact that the European Union must now pay a high price for the “stability” of its relations with the United States.
Before the arrival of Donald Trump, US prices in European products ranged around 4.8 %; Now they reach 15 %.
“A true cold shower for European companies and their employees,” warns the economy, which anticipates a strong impact on Italian industrial fabric.
If the head of the Italian Council, Giorgia Meloni published “satisfaction of the principle” before the conclusion of the agreement, immediately specified that its consequences must be evaluated. In key sectors such as food industry, government and industrialists are already organizing to try to absorb shock, particularly negotiating with US importers to avoid increasing prices.
Strategic relief for Dublin
In this criticism concert, The Daily The Irish Times makes a remarkable dissonance listening: in Ireland, the agreement looks a lot like a relief.
“Ireland, which depends largely on investments and trade with the United States, would have been particularly vulnerable in case of a commercial war,” writes the newspaper and the nuances by adding “that will take a while to evaluate the impact of this agreement on Ireland.”
The country is the home of European seats of many digital and pharmacy companies, crucial sectors for its economy. A front confrontation scenario with Washington could have caused “an economic shock wave” in Dublin.
Given this agreement, an observation is essential: apart from Ireland, the reactions range between disappointment, anger and a feeling of humiliation. Many observers perceive this commitment to Donald Trump, presented as a tactical victory by the European Commission, as a strategic decline that highlights the imbalances in the transatlantic relationship.
Beyond 15 %, it is the political position of the European Union that cares, namely, its difficulty speaking with a single voice, weighing in front of Washington and defending its principles, especially at a time when it must redefine its place on the world chess board.
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Source: BFM TV
