European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has publicly defended the EU-US trade deal negotiated with Donald Trump, asserting it as a “deliberate” strategy to avert a full-scale trade war in an op-ed for the Spanish daily El Mundo, reports 24brussels.
Von der Leyen argued that geopolitical rivals in Beijing and Moscow would have welcomed such a trade conflict and emphasized that the agreement reached with Trump represents a more favorable outcome.
“This agreement reflects a deliberate choice: stability and predictability over escalation and confrontation,” she stated.
On Friday, a joint statement disclosed the comprehensive details of the trade deal. Von der Leyen explained that it establishes “very clear” 15% flat tariffs on almost all EU products, including cars and pharmaceuticals, while exempting generics and aircraft components.
The EU leader acknowledged that while the deal “isn’t perfect,” it is a “solid” outcome, highlighting that the EU is the only global player to have achieved a single capped rate, rather than layered tariffs.
Looking to the future, she indicated that the bloc would focus on strengthening and diversifying trade relationships with other nations, including Switzerland, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and through a new trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.
However, the Commission has faced significant criticism for the deal, most recently from Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank president, who has served as a key advisor to von der Leyen.
In a speech on Friday, Draghi remarked that this year would be remembered as the time when the “illusion” of the EU as a global player has “evaporated.” He stressed, “We had to resign ourselves to the tariffs imposed by our biggest trading partner and long-standing ally, the United States.”
