European leaders responded with rare unity in criticism after a new EU-US trade agreement was announced, with Germany and France leading a chorus of objections. The deal, brokered between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump during private talks at Trump’s Scottish golf resort, introduces a 15% tariff on most EU exports to the United States — half the rate Trump had initially threatened.

Political and Economic Backlash in Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the deal would “substantially damage” his country’s finances, while French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called it “tantamount to submission.” He posted on X, “It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples... resigns itself to submission.”

Despite the gloomy tone, no EU state threatened to block the agreement, which still requires full ratification by all 27 members. EU leaders widely acknowledged the need to avoid an all-out trade war, which had loomed amid Trump's threats of 30% tariffs on European goods.

Strategic Concessions and Security Calculations

The deal involves the EU increasing imports of U.S. energy and slashing taxes on some U.S. imports. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic defended the terms as “the best deal we could get under very difficult circumstances,” emphasizing that geopolitical alignment with the U.S., especially amid the Ukraine war, came at an "additional price."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally, mockingly remarked that Trump had “eaten von der Leyen for breakfast,” while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would support the deal “without any enthusiasm.”

Transatlantic Business and Diplomatic Repercussions

Business response in the U.S. was also muted. The National Foreign Trade Council welcomed the deal for avoiding a trade war but warned of long-term damage to trust and cooperation. They criticized remaining EU policies, including what they viewed as a “discriminatory digital agenda” and unfair pharma regulations.

Von der Leyen initially described the pact as a “huge deal,” but internal European critics, including her own party leader Manfred Weber, labeled it “damage control.”