European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has defended a recently reached customs compromise with the United States, addressing criticisms of the agreement.
In a commentary published Monday, von der Leyen characterized the deal as a deliberate choice prioritizing “stability and predictability over escalation and confrontation”. She argued that failure to reach an agreement between the two largest economies of the democratic world would have been welcomed solely by Moscow and Beijing.
Regarding the agreed-upon U.S. tariffs, capped at 15 percent, von der Leyen described the outcome as a “strong, though not perfect” deal. She emphasized the risk of escalating a costly trade war with negative consequences for employment, consumers and industry had the EU responded with retaliatory tariffs.
Von der Leyen also announced a push for greater diversification of European trade relationships. She highlighted recently concluded trade agreements with Mexico and Mercosur, deepened relations with Switzerland and the United Kingdom, finalized negotiations with Indonesia and expressed a goal of reaching an agreement with India by year’s end.
