The United States and the European Union have struck a wide-ranging trade deal, imposing a 15 percent import tariff on most EU goods, evading an all-out transatlantic trade war.
The deal was hashed out on Sunday between US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland, before an August 1 deadline for the introduction of steep tariffs.
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Both Trump and von der Leyen lauded the deal as an important step, with the US leader hailing it as the “biggest deal” ever made, and the EU chief stating it will bring much-needed “stability” and “predictability”.
But what are European leaders saying about the deal with the EU’s largest trading partner? Here are some reactions:
Denmark
“The trade conditions will not be as good as before, and it is not our choice, but a balance must be found that stabilises the situation and that both sides can live with,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Finland
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the agreement brings “much-needed predictability to the global economy and Finnish companies”. “Work must continue to dismantle trade barriers. Only free transatlantic trade benefits both sides the most,” he said.
France
“It is a sombre day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,” said French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou.
