We thought the soap opera ended with this summer’s “joint declaration”. Missed. Washington sent a new proposal to the European Commission at the beginning of October, in the name of a trade “ reciprocal, fair and balanced “. Behind the scenes, European diplomats speak more of requests “ maximalists “, according to The Echoes. In other words: everything has to be renegotiated.
Trump wants to renegotiate again
The heart of the problem? The United States now wants to discuss European laws deemed too restrictive for its companies, such as the Duty of Vigilance Directive, which requires large companies to monitor the social and environmental impact of their supply chains. Washington sees this as interference and additional costs. Same thing for the texts on deforestation and the famous carbon adjustment at the borders, which America would like to circumvent.
On the European side, we keep a measured tone, but the tension is there. “ We remain focused on faithfully implementing the Joint Declaration », recalled Olof Gill, spokesperson for the Commission. In other words, there is no question of starting all over again.
In European capitals, there is a particular fear that giving in to the Americans will open the way to other demands from elsewhere. If Washington obtains its exemptions, why not Beijing or New Delhi? The EU would risk losing what it calls its “ Brussels effect », this ability to impose its environmental and social standards on the rest of the world thanks to the size of its internal market.
« It’s neither a surprise nor something new, it’s permanent blackmail », breathes a MEP quoted by The Echoes. Enough to complicate the task of Ursula von der Leyen, who presented the summer trade agreement as a solid basis – certainly asymmetrical, but stable – for transatlantic trade.
France, for its part, appears a little more calm: these skirmishes would not be Washington’s priority, more concerned with internal politics and its industrialists. But the risk remains: if the European Parliament judges the agreement too unbalanced, it could simply block it.
In the background, another battle is brewing: that of digital regulations. American tech giants have never digested European taxes and laws on platforms, and Trump is ready to take their side. Enough to push Brussels to recall that it has a dissuasive tool: the “anti-coercion instrument”, a commercial retaliation mechanism ready to be drawn if the White House insists too much. Which is likely to happen…
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