Europeans were ready to give in to Trump's "tariffs": failed, we must prepare the response
Several countries, led by Germany and Italy, were pushing for a rapid agreement with Washington. But Trump's new demands, which impose 30% tariffs on the EU, are forcing the 27 to react.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kananaskis on June 16. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
Special treatment and spending promises will have changed nothing. On Saturday, July 12, Donald Trump announced by letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he would impose 30% tariffs on European products starting August 1, a rate comparable to that of other regions of the world. In Brussels, where work has been underway for months on a negotiated agreement, the letter was received as a hammer blow. While European Union leaders have stopped dreaming aloud about the establishment of a transatlantic free trade area, they still believed until the last minute in the possibility of a compromise in the face of the increase in "productive" exchanges between Trump's teams and Ursula von der Leyen's right-hand man, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.
The proposed agreement seemed almost reasonable: a general 10% tax, with exemptions for key sectors such as steel, automobiles, and aeronautics. Emmanuel Macron wrinkled his nose at this "lesser evil," but German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pressed for a "quick" agreement. Even when Trump began sending his slew of threatening letters to other partners...
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