“You weren’t in that room yesterday, it was the best possible agreement.” At a certain point in his press conference Maros Sefcovic, the negotiation man, tried to photograph in his own way the Turnberry pact. He did it by addressing European journalists but, implicitly, especially to the many who frame the agreement on duties as the capitulation of Europe against Donald Trump.
The agreement signed by Ursula von der Leyen likes a few. The most have chosen the caution line but those who did not do it, like France, spoke of “darkest day” and “submission” to the USA. And even Berlin, after reading the terms of the agreement better, launched the alarm. “Could you do more?” “Did you act correctly avoiding only one response to the USA starting from April 2nd”? Questions like these emerge in every European stationery, in every party secretariat, among the CEO of large enterprises and, who knows, perhaps even among some commissioners.
The data, for now, describe a strongly asymmetrical pact which, if on the one hand avoided 30% threatened by Trump, on the other has included different concessions that remained in recent days in the drawers of Palazzo Berlaymont. And on some key sectors, such as that of wines or drugs, the glass appears to the most empty. Emmanuel Macron, the first supporter of a muscle line with Washington, has so far chosen silence. His prime minister spoke, all right. “It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm its values and defend its interests, decides to submit,” was the tweet of François Bayrou. He did not have surprised the position of Viktor Orban, anti-EU even when Brussels makes his best ally happy, Trump. “The agreement is worse than that signed between the USA and the United Kingdom. Trump ate Ursula for breakfast, “he attacked the Hungarian premier. Less obvious was the half -turn of Friedrich Merz. A few minutes after the agreement, the German Chancellor celebrated the blitz in Scotland of his compatriot. Less than 24 hours later he admitted to “not being satisfied”, providing “Teutonic” considerable damage to the economy “. Donald Tusk, pillar of the PPE as von der Leyen, has chosen to keep silent. Many have imitated him. Pedro Sanchez, certainly not Trump’s best friend, said he “supported the agreement, but without enthusiasm”. Giorgia Meloni reiterated the endurance of 15% for Italian companies but postponed his final judgment. Also because Turnberry’s handshake has yet to be translated into a written and agreed text, point by point, from the two banks of the Atlantic. The final text should arrive by August 1st. Until then we will dance. And the White House, which has defined the “colossal” understanding, will hardly make concessions.
The permanent representatives of the 27 will return to see each other on the dossier in the next few hours. The most delicate moment will be that of the go -ahead for suspension – that Sine Die is assumed – of the list of countermeasures that the EU would have put in place starting from 7 August. It is almost impossible that the green light is not granted. But at the table, on that occasion, all bad moods will emerge clearly. “We suspend the counter -of -August from 4 August but the measures remain ready and reactivable,” they pointed out from the EU executive. Also at Palazzo Berlymont, on the occasion of the College of Commissioners, there was talk of the intention which, according to Von der Leyen, avoided the abyss and the collapse of the European market. For now the compactness of the commissioners around their president seems to hold up. Yet, in recent weeks, even among European officials there was a greater muscle in the negotiation. Furthermore, the pact in its asymmetry does not seem to respect the parameters of the WTO. By satisfying, even in this respect, those who like Trump would like to conquer every rule of multilateralism.