France (TDI): French Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou, and German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, criticized the EU’s recent trade deal, calling it a “substantial damage” to national finances and a “dark day.”
“It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, gathered to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submit,” Prime Minister François Bayrou wrote on X about the trade agreement that allowed the US to impose 15% tariffs on European goods.
The deal that was announced on Sunday is already under criticism.
Accord Van der Leyen-Trump : c’est un jour sombre que celui où une alliance de peuples libres, rassemblés pour affirmer leurs valeurs et défendre leurs intérêts, se résout à la soumission.
— François Bayrou (@bayrou) July 28, 2025
Benjamin Haddad, France’s minister in charge of European affairs on X said, “The free trade that has brought shared prosperity to both sides of the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is now being rejected by the United States, which has opted for economic coercion and complete disregard for W.T.O. rules.”
He also urged taking necessary action before being wiped out.
L’accord commercial négocié par la Commission Européenne avec les Etats-Unis apportera une stabilité temporaire aux acteurs économiques menacés par l’escalade douanière américaine, mais il est déséquilibré.
Il a le mérite d’exempter de tarifs des secteurs clés pour l’économie…
— Benjamin Haddad (@benjaminhaddad) July 28, 2025
Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin also criticized the EU’s ability to handle 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 the media.
“It would have been better to respond by showing our capacity to retaliate earlier. And the deal could have probably looked different,” he added. The German Chancellor and Italian Prime Minister welcomed the deal,
Merz said the deal, which was secured in Scotland, avoided “needless escalation in transatlantic trade relations” and averted a potentially damaging trade war. However, he said that Germany is going to face “substantial damage” from the tariffs, but “We couldn’t expect to achieve any more.”
Italian Prime Minister Meloni welcomed the deal, saying it had avoided “potentially devastating” consequences. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he gave his support for the deal “without any enthusiasm”.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
