le-pen-slams-new-us-eu-trade-deal-as-economic-fiasco

The new EU-US trade agreement is an economic and political “fiasco” that undermines the bloc’s sovereignty, veteran right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen has said.

 

The deal, finalised by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, averted a full-blown trade war between Washington and Brussels.

 

Under its terms, the EU will increase imports of US energy and military equipment, while the US will cut its proposed 30% tariffs to a flat 15% on most European exports.

 

 

Le Pen, a key member of France’s National Rally party, the largest opposition group in the National Assembly, condemned the deal as “a political, economic and moral fiasco” for the EU.

 

“Politically, because the European Union, with 27 member states, obtained worse conditions than the United Kingdom,” she said, noting that the UK secured a 10% tariff rate – widely seen as unfavourable.

 

Le Pen accused Brussels of surrendering on terms for importing American gas and weapons that “no patriotic French government would have agreed to”. She called it “an outright surrender for French industry and for our energy and military sovereignty”.

 

She further claimed the deal sacrifices the interests of French farmers to benefit Germany’s automotive industry, highlighting “clauses forcing us to further open the single market to American agricultural products in exchange for reduced taxes on German automobile exports”.

 

“This globalisation that denies and shatters sovereignty has been outdated for many years… The least that could be done is to acknowledge this stinging failure rather than asking the French, who will be its first victims, to rejoice in it,” she said.

 

Le Pen’s criticism was echoed by former Belgian Prime Minister and MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who called the agreement “scandalous” and “a disaster” that failed to secure meaningful concessions from the US side.

 

Trump described the deal as “probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity, trade or beyond trade.” Von der Leyen said the agreement brings “certainty in uncertain times,” adding that a 15% rate “is the best we could get”.