@rusembmalta · Post #2194 · 10/01/2025, 11:50 AM
@RusEmbMalta Press Release Special Issue EU–US “Trade Deal”: Partnership or Pressure? On July 27, 2025 Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump announced a “historic trade deal.” Brussels calls it “stability and predictability.” But let’s look closer 👇 🔹Tariffs: • US capped tariffs at 15% (instead of 30%) – but kept 50% on EU steel & aluminium. • 🇪🇺 EU drops duties on US industrial goods & opens doors to American farm & seafood exports. 🔹Energy & $$$: • EU pledges to buy $750bn worth of US LNG, oil & nuclear fuel by 2028. • Plus $40bn in US chips & $600bn EU investments into the US economy. • No real mechanism for implementation – just political promises. 🔹Other Concessions: • Brussels softens green rules so they won’t “restrict” US trade. • Signals readiness to buy US weapons. • Digital trade? Washington sets the tone. Backlash in Europe: • 🇩🇪 German industry: “flawed compromise,” billions in losses. • 🇫🇷 Macron: Brussels showed weakness. • Experts: “unfair and disproportionate,” €9–10bn losses in 2025. • Farmers’ unions & steel lobby: “strategic mistake.” 💡The Real Picture: This is not a “deal” – it’s Washington tightening its grip. Trade becomes a tool of pressure, forcing Europe into one-sided concessions while weakening its global competitiveness. 👉What Brussels sells as “predictability” looks more like dependence. Read the Press Release in full here. #EU#USA#TradeDeal#WashingtonPressure#Geopolitics#Energy