EU trade deal is a capitulation to America, by Thomas Fazi

If Queen Ursula is promoting this deal, you know it’s got to be bad for the average European. From Thomas Fazi at thomasfazi.com:

The punitive conditions (for Europe) of the EU-US trade deal are the ultimate example of the fact that the European Union has delivered a structural subordination to the US unseen in the postwar era

On Sunday, the European Union and the United States finalised a trade agreement imposing a 15% tariff on most EU exports to the US — a deal US President Donald Trump triumphantly hailed as “the biggest one of them all”. While the agreement averted an even harsher 30% tariff threatened by Washington, many in Europe are calling it a resounding defeat — or even an unconditional surrender — for the EU.

It’s easy to see why. The 15% tariff on EU goods entering the US is significantly higher than the 10% that Brussels had hoped to negotiate. Meanwhile, as Trump himself boasted, the EU has “opened up their countries at zero tariff” to American exports. Crucially, EU steel and aluminium will continue to face a crushing 50% tariff when sold into the US market.

This asymmetry places European producers at a severe disadvantage, raising costs for strategic industries like automotive, pharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing — sectors that underpin the EU’s $1.97 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. The so-called “rebalancing” measures clearly tilt the playing field in favour of the US, forcing European economies to absorb higher costs simply to preserve access to American markets.

Even worse, the EU has committed to $600 billion in new US investments, $750 billion in long-term energy purchases and increased procurement of American military hardware. This further deepens Europe’s structural dependency on US energy supplies and military resources.

Continue reading