EU weighs options to pressure Israel over Gaza but remains divided
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Asharq Al-Awsat
6 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
French PM Says EU-US Trade Deal an Act of ‘Submission' and a Dark Day for Europe
France called a framework trade deal between the United States and European Union a "dark day" for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to US President Donald Trump with an unbalanced deal that slaps a headline 15% tariff on EU goods while sparing US imports from any immediate European retaliation. The criticism from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou followed months of French calls for EU negotiators to take a tougher stance against Trump by threatening reciprocal measures — a position that contrasted with the more conciliatory approaches of Germany and Italy. "It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission," Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the "von der Leyen-Trump deal". The high-level French criticism, and President Emmanuel Macron's silence since the deal was signed between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stood in contrast with the more benign reaction from Berlin and Rome. French government ministers acknowledged the agreement had some benefits, including exemptions for sectors such as spirits and aerospace, but said it remained fundamentally unbalanced. "This state of affairs is not satisfactory and cannot be sustained," French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad said on X, urging the EU to activate its so-called anti-coercion instrument, which would allow for non-tariff retaliation. Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin criticized the EU's handling of the negotiations, saying the bloc should not have refrained from hitting back in what he described as a power struggle initiated by Trump. "Donald Trump only understands force," he told France Inter radio. "It would have been better to respond by showing our capacity to retaliate earlier. And the deal could have probably looked different," he added. Macron had said that the EU should respond in kind if the United States slapped tariffs on EU goods, and apply equivalent measures on US imports into the bloc, in particular on services, in which the US enjoys a surplus with the EU. But the softer line advocated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose countries are more dependent than France on exports to the US, prevailed.
Saudi Gazette
34 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
US, EU strike 15% tariff deal to avert trade war
EDINBURGH, Scotland — The United States and the European Union reached a sweeping trade agreement Sunday to set a 15% tariff on most goods, avoiding a transatlantic trade war that could have disrupted global markets. The deal was announced after a brief meeting between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. The agreement comes just days before a Friday deadline the White House had set to impose punitive 30% tariffs on EU goods. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump said. 'It's a good deal for everybody and a giant deal with lots of countries.' Von der Leyen said the deal would provide 'stability and predictability,' calling that crucial for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. As part of the framework, the EU will purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy over the next three years and invest an additional $600 billion in the U.S. said the two sides also agreed to a major military equipment sale and that all automobile tariffs would be set at 15%.'This opens up all of the European countries to U.S. exporters,' Trump der Leyen clarified that while 15% would be the standard tariff, the agreement includes 'zero-for-zero' provisions on a list of strategic products, including aircraft and parts, certain chemicals, generic medicines, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, some agricultural goods, natural resources, and critical raw materials. It was unclear whether alcohol would be covered.'This framework stabilizes a single, 15% tariff rate for the vast majority of EU exports,' she said. 'But we will keep working to add more products to this list in the coming weeks.'The European Commission must still present the framework to EU member states and lawmakers for approval, which could take several has long criticized what he calls the unfair nature of U.S.–EU trade and had pushed for more balanced terms. 'I think both sides want to see fairness,' he a news conference, von der Leyen said the EU and the U.S. remain the world's largest trading partners, representing trillions of dollars in commerce and hundreds of millions of people. She praised the agreement as a sign of tangible meanwhile, rejected suggestions he would settle for less than a 15% tariff. 'No,' he told reporters before the deal was president played a round of golf with his sons Eric and Donald Jr. before the meeting. His five-day trip to Scotland includes visits to Trump-branded golf properties in Turnberry and Sunday's agreement, the EU had prepared retaliatory tariffs on hundreds of American products, from beef and auto parts to beer and Boeing proposed tariffs would have raised prices on European goods such as French cheese, Italian leather, German electronics, and Spanish pharmaceuticals.'I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games,' Trump said. 'I think it's the biggest deal ever made.' — Agencies
Al Arabiya
36 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
EU-US trade deal ‘heavy blow' to European industry: Russia
Russia on Monday criticized a trade deal reached between the European Union and the United States, saying it would deal a 'heavy blow' to European industry. 'Such an approach will lead to the further de-industrialization of Europe, to the flow of investments from Europe to the United States, and of course, this will be a very heavy blow,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a youth conference near Moscow.
