Discontent brews in Europe over US-EU trade deal; French PM calls it a ‘dark day’

There is discontent brewing in Europe over the new trade deal with the US agreed upon between European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump at a meeting in Scotland on Sunday, and European leaders have started expressing their concerns over it. France’s prime minister and business leaders across Germany have criticised the deal. Analysts say the deal just averts a damaging trade war by imposing a 15% import tariff, half of the rate threatened by Trump, on most EU goods, but over three times of the average 4.8% effective now.

France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou said Europe had submitted to the US on a “dark day” for the European Union. “It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, gathered to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,” Bayrou said in a post on X.

The agreement, which imposes 15% tariffs on most European exports to the US, including cars, ends the threat of a punitive 30% import duty, but it is far from the EU-offered zero-zero import and export tariff.

The deal means that European exporters will now face three times the present average 4.8% tariff.

‘Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast’: Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, “This is not an agreement…Donald Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast, this is what happened and we suspected this would happen as the US president is a heavyweight when it comes to negotiations while Madame President is featherweight.”

German chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed the deal, saying it avoided “needless escalation in transatlantic trade relations” and averted a damaging trade war, but German exporters were less enthusiastic.

It is also clear that the US tariff of 15% on automotive products will place a burden on German automotive companies in the midst of their transformation, hitting sales and profits.

Simon Harris, deputy prime minister of Ireland, one of the EU’s top exporters to the US, said it welcomed the deal for bringing “a measure of much-needed certainty”, but that it “regrets” the baseline tariff.

‘Deal would provide temporary stability, but is unbalanced’

France’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, said the deal would provide “temporary stability … but is unbalanced”.

“Fifteen per cent is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,” the European Commision president, Ursula von der Leyen, acknowledged.

French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said that while the deal would “bring temporary stability,” it was generally “unbalanced,” calling the situation “not satisfactory and … not sustainable.”

The 15% tariff agreed in the EU-US deal will apply to 70% of all exports to the US worth €380 billion, while rates on pharma and steel are still being negotiated, officials said.

The 15% tariff agreed in the EU-US deal will apply to 70% of all exports to the US worth €380 billion, while rates on pharma and steel are still being negotiated, officials said.