The trade deal will introduce a 15% tariff for the vast majority of EU products. But some will benefit from a "zero-for-zero" scheme. #EuropeNews

I hope they do make the details public, but it does look like EU bent the knee with this one.

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.worldEnglish
    603·
    1 month ago

    Ashamed to be European today. For all the tough talk and strong worded letters we really can’t blame anyone else about being so dependent on other forces when we capitulate so easily to these thugs.

    For all the talk about holding the line with other allies such as Canada, who are much closer and keeping their elbows up, this is truly disgraceful. Plus with all the far right influence popping up all over the west at the same time, which isn’t a coincidence.

    Besides, with the way the US is going, Trump or not, how long until this deal is null and void by them?

    • StinkyFingerItchyBum@lemmy.caEnglish
      222·
      1 month ago

      This is temporary as the world adjusts to omit the US. It takes time to reorient your economy away from a consumer economy, and the US. I expect it will happen faster than many expect, as the US will no longer be a desirable supplier or consumer of your goods.

      They are isolating themselves.

      • Hikuro-93@lemmy.worldEnglish
        16·
        1 month ago

        Yeah, that’s my one hope, to be honest.

        I understand needing them for now, because there’s kind of change needed is just that huge. But I hope we actively put in the work to break away from this dependence long term.

  • SebaDC@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    563·
    1 month ago

    Anyone disappointed should just boycott everything coming from the USA, from companies owned by the USA (PE, stock market, etc).

    Start with easy stuff. Like benzin/diesel for your car. Don’t go to esso or jet. Then, stop drinking Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc. or going to the McDonald’s. Boycott Tesla, Ford & Co.

    Cancel your Netflix and Amazon prime, and buy CDs, DVDs and blue rays.

    Stop buying iPhones. Move away from Microsoft and Google as much as possible. In your private life and your companies. Go open source.

    Trade wars are a problem only for the seller if there are no buyers.

    • vga@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      310·
      1 month ago

      Anyone disappointed should just boycott everything coming from the USA

      This is the lazy and ultimately wrong way. Sure, it doesn’t hurt, but its actual effect is not very powerful.

      The better way to get back at USA is to start doing things better than they do. Stop fucking around and do stuff. We might be there in some limited areas, but in general the US rules over the world economically because they’re good at making things.

      • Saleh@feddit.orgEnglish
        7·
        1 month ago

        This is the lazy and ultimately wrong way. Sure, it doesn’t hurt, but its actual effect is not very powerful.

        If consumer boycotts wouldn’t be powerful, why did the US pass anti-boycott bills? Why is there so much lobbying against consumer boycotts?

        Also the US isn’t good at making things. If they were, they would have a positive trade balance with most countries. Instead they have a negative balance and a lot of their exports are crude resources and other low-level refined products from them.

        • vga@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          2·
          1 month ago

          Also the US isn’t good at making things. If they were, they would have a positive trade balance with most countries. Instead they have a negative balance and a lot of their exports are crude resources and other low-level refined products from them.

          Yeah, perhaps I’m being a bit myopic here because I’m in IT. And it seems to me that in my field almost everything is either made in USA or significantly funded by them.

      • Ragnor@feddit.dkEnglish
        7·
        1 month ago

        I disagree with your statement about quality. For instance, I’d much rather have a German car than an American one. America doesn’t really make things any more anyway, most of it has been outsourced to China or other countries. The manufacturing expertise has mostly left the US. See for instance some of the most recent videos done by Smarter Every Day on YouTube where he talks about how hard it is to make a purely American made product.

        What they have in the US is money so they can buy stocks and other things like that, so they make money off of things that others make.

        They also make a ton of money off of everybody using the dollar as the global trade currency. That means that they can print a lot more money in the US without it causing as much inflation as it would otherwise, and the money they print are released into the US economy. They basically get to tax the holdings of companies all over the world that way.

      • SebaDC@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        61·
        1 month ago

        Do they? Most founders located in the USA are either heirs of Fortunes or foreigners.

        They’re especially good at:

        • Financing: they have been printing money line there’s no tomorrow and pumped their stock market

        • Marketing: many of us here aren’t native English speakers and yet, we communicate in English. This puts native speaker at an advantage

        So no. They don’t do so much better things. They are just reckless their own people for the sake of the economy.

        And yes. Not buying from them, especially for things that are commodities (benzin, diesel) or bad for your health (soda, junk food) is actually hurting them.

      • A_norny_mousse@feddit.orgEnglish
        61·
        1 month ago

        You’re not wrong but you’re wrong when you say “ultimately wrong”.

        More than one thing can help here.

        And your counter-proposal to “stop fucking around and do stuff” is not so hot.

        Better advice: contact your MP’s right now because this hasn’t been ratified yet.

        edit:

        in general the US rules over the world economically because they’re good at making things

        oof. 🤪 Even in the glorified 1950s neither part of this statement has been (generally) true.

  • oyzmo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    1 month ago

    So disappointed in Van der Leyen - this is weak! Steel tax remains at 50%! And EU is going to buy more military equipment from US, madness!

    The only positive is that signed agreements doesn’t really seem to mean anything anymore…

  • Argyle13 @lemmy.worldEnglish
    232·
    1 month ago

    Von der Layen did. Not EU citizens. Many are, let,s say, a bit angry about this issue. Shameful.

  • LilB0kChoy@piefed.socialEnglish
    221·
    1 month ago

    Article title:

    Von der Leyen and Trump strike EU-US trade deal with 15% tariff for the bloc

  • SpaceShort@feddit.ukEnglish
    221·
    1 month ago

    That’s it. I’m going to vote for explicitly anti-American parties at the next election.

    • SebaDC@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      4·
      1 month ago

      We are now in a neo-liberal economy. Your wallet has more (or at least as much) power than your ballot.

  • ReluctantZen@feddit.nlEnglish
    20·
    1 month ago

    So this was a deal to save the car industry and it keeps us addicted to fossil fuel. I’m disappointed to say the least.

  • 9point6@lemmy.worldEnglish
    16·
    1 month ago

    Trump called the Japanese deal he never actually made the biggest deal in history, this could be the same thing here ultimately

    • Hubi@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      1 month ago

      Same thing with China and the UAE as well. The “deal” is not worth the paper it is printed on, it’s merely a band-aid to get down from the 30% tariff ASAP.

  • Melchior@feddit.orgEnglish
    16·
    1 month ago

    I thought this might help:

    So basically no fossil fuels and do not get sick. Things you want to do anyway, but the later is unfortunatly kind of hard.

    • A_norny_mousse@feddit.orgEnglish
      5·
      1 month ago

      Did not know oil was #1. Are the USA also the #1 provider of oil for the EU?

      Anyhow, asssuming the 15% are higher than what it was before, this just plays into Russia’s hands. Trump is such an idiot, and von der Leyen is not much better, although the EU going for this cannot be completely her responsibility.

      • Melchior@feddit.orgEnglish
        6·
        1 month ago

        The US is the biggest source of oil for the EU, but only has 15% market share in Q1 this year. However Russia was at 25% in Q1 of 2022. So it is certainly possible to replace it. Especially by driving less and going for EVs.

        But also the EU basically not charging tariffs on US exports to the EU. This is insanely one sided and should be shut down.

  • Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.worldEnglish
    151·
    1 month ago

    This is still just a tentative deal that has to be ratified by all the countries so there’s still hope.

    Friendly reminder that you can use this site to find your MPs in the European Parliament. Remind them that they are there for and because of us, and let them know what you think of this kind of deal making.

    If EU doesn’t stop this recent festival of stupidity the European project will go nowhere fast. There’s already a huge problem with the rise of euro-scepticism and these bellends just add fuel to fire. I’m tired boss.

  • P00ptart@lemmy.worldEnglish
    151·
    1 month ago

    This is a mistake. It shows weakness. Build trade partners elsewhere and ignore trump and the US.

  • usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.mlEnglish
    13·
    1 month ago

    Do note that a lot of early reporting on Trump’s “deals” in the past have often been grossly misleading. Often counting existing agreements as new one or leaving critical details out

    For instance, I recall a lot of people were questioning a deal with Mexico earlier as bending the knee that turned out to largely be just be puff agreements that they had already made before Trump

    There’s a decent chance that this is continuing that pattern. Though I can’t say for certain of course

  • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.netEnglish
    142·
    1 month ago

    Asked about what concessions, if any, the US had made in the talks, the Commission chief replied with a general remark about shared prosperity.

    “The starting point was an imbalance, a surplus (of goods) on our side and a deficit on the US side. We wanted to rebalance the trade relation, and we wanted to do it in a way that trade goes on between the two of us across the Atlantic,” she said.

    Let me get this straight… EU has a lot of goods the US needs. US does not have a lot of goods the EU needs. So the EU, which seems to have the upper hand, agrees to sell their goods to the US at a lower price? Is this mainly to avoid stepping on the toes of EU merchants that would like to sell to the US market specifically?

        • the_wiz@feddit.orgEnglish
          21·
          1 month ago

          Did someone looked at the military capabilities of the EU compared to the US? No? It thought so…

          If you are a vassal (and - at least for now - we, the EU are) its better to appease your lord. A docile ruler is easier to topple than one who fears you plan something funny…