STRASBOURG: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will defend her controversial trade agreement with former US President Donald Trump during an address to EU parliamentarians on Wednesday.
Many lawmakers view the July accord as a surrender to Washington despite widespread recognition that Europe’s security dependence on America limited its negotiating power during tariff discussions.
Valerie Hayer, leader of parliament’s centrist Renew bloc, stated that everyone agrees it represents a bad deal reflecting European weakness.
The agreement imposes a 15% tariff on most EU exports to the United States while providing exemptions for certain sectors like aircraft but not others including wine and spirits.
Europe committed to massive US energy purchases, eliminating tariffs on American industrial goods, and granting preferential access for various seafood and agricultural products in return.
Marina Mesure, an EU lawmaker with The Left group, predicted von der Leyen would attempt to convince legislators to accept what she termed a surrender to a predatory United States.
A Cluster17 poll conducted for publication Le Grand Continent revealed that 52% of Europeans consider the deal a humiliation.
An anonymous European Commission official acknowledged this difficult period where Europe appears weak but emphasized the importance of what follows the agreement.
The official warned that Europe would need to respond firmly if Trump fails to uphold the deal’s terms despite the recent threats he has already issued against EU tech regulations.
Von der Leyen’s parliamentary address carries practical significance beyond public relations as lawmakers must soon vote on legislation reducing EU tariffs to implement the full agreement.
Her main political allies remain divided with centrists withholding commitment and socialists threatening opposition to the required legislative text.
Socialists and Democrats leader Iratxe Garcia Perez declared the argument that a bad deal beats no deal completely unacceptable on Tuesday.
Renew’s Hayer conceded that von der Leyen negotiated with a mandate from EU states including France and Germany while many businesses desired predictability even through an unbalanced agreement.
The European People’s Party will support the accord without disguising their dissatisfaction according to group leader Manfred Weber.
Weber acknowledged that 15% export tariffs do not please anyone but represented the best achievable outcome with a tariff-loving American president.
The hard-right ECR group including Italian leader Giorgia Meloni’s party expressed similar pragmatic support for the agreement.
Beyond trade matters, von der Leyen is expected to highlight European mobilization supporting Ukraine’s war effort with France and Germany pledging participation in a post-peace reassurance force.
She may preview the nineteenth EU sanctions package targeting Russian oil revenue specifically where US cooperation has improved since the trade accord.
The EU chief anticipates difficult questions regarding the bloc’s inaction on Gaza due to longstanding divisions between Israel-supporting and Palestine-sympathetic member states.
These divisions have emerged within von der Leyen’s own team with Spanish commissioner Teresa Ribera calling the Gaza war a genocide and criticizing European inaction. – AFP