Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – The EU’s top negotiator on Monday defended a trade agreement with the United States to avert steeper tariffs as “the best deal we could get under very difficult circumstances.”
“I’m 100 percent sure that this deal is better than a trade war with the United States,” EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic told journalists. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday struck an accord with US President Donald Trump that will see exports from the bloc subjected to 15 percent tariffs — but no tariffs for US exports to Europe.
The agreement meant Brussels staved off a threat from Trump to hit Europe with levies twice as high if no deal was struck by August 1. But it still drew stinging criticism from some European capitals and industries who accused the EU of giving in too easily to the US leader.
“It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resorts to submission,” French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou wrote on X. Sefcovic urged those taking issue with the deal to “pause for the moment and consider the alternative.”
“A trade war may seem appealing to some, but it comes with serious consequences. With at least a 30 percent tariff, our transatlantic trade would effectively come to a halt,” he said. “Our businesses sent us a unanimous message, avoid escalation and work towards a solution.”
© 2024 AFP
