So disappointed in Van der Leyen - this is weak! Steel tax remains at 50%! And EU is going to buy more military equipment from US, madness!
The only positive is that signed agreements doesn't really seem to mean anything anymore...
this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
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So disappointed in V[o]n der Leyen
So I have to assume you're not German, because otherwise you'd have known that she's a garbage politician. She got promoted to a EU position because she was no longer tenable nationally. The reason she doesn't get flak from Germany right now is that she's from the conservative party that recently got elected.
It seems get Wikipedia pages got somewhat scrubbed because a lot of the scandals are missing. Here are some from memory:
Internet stop signs: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/ein-stoppschild-furs-reine-gewissen-4758619.html
Lost court case against weapon manufacturer H&K: https://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/lg-koblenz-8o19815-heckler-koch-g36-sturmgewehr-nicht-mangelhaft-vone,-das-n-der-leyen-verliert (actually least egregious one on the list, but still incompetent)
The consulting affair that involved cronyism while she was minister of defense: summary at https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ursula-von-der-leyen-und-die-berateraffaere-faktisches-komplettversagen-a-55458b1c-64bd-436b-acdf-75afcef0f5d3
Destroyed evidence: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/vonderleyen-handydaten-101.html
So true. Australia has a Free Trade Agreement with the US signed in 2011 (I think?). And, America enjoys a trade deficit with us. We buy more of your shit than you buy from us. Still, Trump hit us with a 10% tariff for some goddamn reason. We've paid about a billion dollars on a down payment for Virginia Class Submarines that we will never, ever see.
It will be about a century before the world will trust the US again.
Is there anything right Van der Leyen did as the commissioner? π
Don't ask what she did before moving to EU.
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Thatβs my impression also. It looks like the USA is just looking to dump their shitty old military equipment and Ursula just said yes and then felt the need to justify it with weak stand on itβ¦
That's it. I'm going to vote for explicitly anti-American parties at the next election.
We are now in a neo-liberal economy. Your wallet has more (or at least as much) power than your ballot.
Anyone disappointed should just boycott everything coming from the USA, from companies owned by the USA (PE, stock market, etc).
Start with easy stuff. Like benzin/diesel for your car. Don't go to esso or jet. Then, stop drinking Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc. or going to the McDonald's. Boycott Tesla, Ford & Co.
Cancel your Netflix and Amazon prime, and buy CDs, DVDs and blue rays.
Stop buying iPhones. Move away from Microsoft and Google as much as possible. In your private life and your companies. Go open source.
Trade wars are a problem only for the seller if there are no buyers.
and buy CDs, DVDs and blue rays.
Or just pirate your media...
To paraphrase Jeff Winger:
You may have read it, I may have thought it, but I didn't write it.
How is buying DVDs and blurays better than Netflix subscription, if they are American content?
For one: ownership. Nobody can take away your DVDs legally.
Second: you can buy 2nd hand. Only the (local) reseller makes money.
Third: you can buy local content...
Fourth: no recurring sales for Netflix & co. And this is huge. Because they use their ARR to get financing, Netflix & co need you to pay monthly. Buying DVDs is much less predictable and does not give them the same financial power.
Fifth: you can lend them. Want to share a movie with friends? They didn't need their own subscription. You can just lend them the DVD. Again: less sales.
Finally: once you start going this, your discover your local ecosystem. Libraries, associations, forums etc. With doing like this for culture (Books, music, movies), tools, and even expertise.
I wish more people thought like you.
And I wish I gave answers as swift and succinct as yours. I wrote a reply that is too looooong. Yours is better.
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Buy it second hand. They can have their initial sale a decade ago and no residual income. I'll buy it from you when you don't want it or need some cash! Better burn a backup as well before it gets scratched. Don't accidentally lose twenty backups at your friends houses though.
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Ashamed to be European today. For all the tough talk and strong worded letters we really can't blame anyone else about being so dependent on other forces when we capitulate so easily to these thugs.
For all the talk about holding the line with other allies such as Canada, who are much closer and keeping their elbows up, this is truly disgraceful. Plus with all the far right influence popping up all over the west at the same time, which isn't a coincidence.
Besides, with the way the US is going, Trump or not, how long until this deal is null and void by them?
This is temporary as the world adjusts to omit the US. It takes time to reorient your economy away from a consumer economy, and the US. I expect it will happen faster than many expect, as the US will no longer be a desirable supplier or consumer of your goods.
They are isolating themselves.
Yeah, that's my one hope, to be honest.
I understand needing them for now, because there's kind of change needed is just that huge. But I hope we actively put in the work to break away from this dependence long term.
We made a deal to give the bully half of our lunch money. Until the bully decides otherwise.
I thought this might help:
So basically no fossil fuels and do not get sick. Things you want to do anyway, but the later is unfortunatly kind of hard.
Did not know oil was #1. Are the USA also the #1 provider of oil for the EU?
Anyhow, asssuming the 15% are higher than what it was before, this just plays into Russia's hands. Trump is such an idiot, and von der Leyen is not much better, although the EU going for this cannot be completely her responsibility.
The US is the biggest source of oil for the EU, but only has 15% market share in Q1 this year. However Russia was at 25% in Q1 of 2022. So it is certainly possible to replace it. Especially by driving less and going for EVs.
But also the EU basically not charging tariffs on US exports to the EU. This is insanely one sided and should be shut down.
This is a mistake. It shows weakness. Build trade partners elsewhere and ignore trump and the US.
Is the 15% in both directions?
Von der Layen did. Not EU citizens. Many are, let,s say, a bit angry about this issue. Shameful.
So this was a deal to save the car industry and it keeps us addicted to fossil fuel. I'm disappointed to say the least.
This is still just a tentative deal that has to be ratified by all the countries so there's still hope.
Friendly reminder that you can use this site to find your MPs in the European Parliament. Remind them that they are there for and because of us, and let them know what you think of this kind of deal making.
If EU doesn't stop this recent festival of stupidity the European project will go nowhere fast. There's already a huge problem with the rise of euro-scepticism and these bellends just add fuel to fire. I'm tired boss.
Article title:
Von der Leyen and Trump strike EU-US trade deal with 15% tariff for the bloc
@hornedfiend@sopuli.xyz Could you fix the editorialized title, please? (Note from the mod.)
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What is this title?
yeah, what's with the title?!
OP don't use your opinion as a title. Seriously
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Trump called the Japanese deal he never actually made the biggest deal in history, this could be the same thing here ultimately
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Yeah, we need explanations here. This looks really negative
It looks fucking weak and pathetic and the UE should have stood its ground, but apparently it's the same as with the Japan deal. The investments are just smoke, no money allocated, no dates, etc. Just an empty gesture to appease MAGAts Still, pathetic and VdL should be sacked.
Do note that a lot of early reporting on Trump's "deals" in the past have often been grossly misleading. Often counting existing agreements as new one or leaving critical details out
For instance, I recall a lot of people were questioning a deal with Mexico earlier as bending the knee that turned out to largely be just be puff agreements that they had already made before Trump
There's a decent chance that this is continuing that pattern. Though I can't say for certain of course
Die gehΓΆrt eingesperrt
Asked about what concessions, if any, the US had made in the talks, the Commission chief replied with a general remark about shared prosperity.
"The starting point was an imbalance, a surplus (of goods) on our side and a deficit on the US side. We wanted to rebalance the trade relation, and we wanted to do it in a way that trade goes on between the two of us across the Atlantic," she said.
Let me get this straight⦠EU has a lot of goods the US needs. US does not have a lot of goods the EU needs. So the EU, which seems to have the upper hand, agrees to sell their goods to the US at a lower price? Is this mainly to avoid stepping on the toes of EU merchants that would like to sell to the US market specifically?
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Nah, just puff stuff to make him feel good. Mostly we're buying more energy from the US which, frankly, we need.
No one wants a trade war. It will just hurt us all.
Adding to that, it's only laying the ground work for a deal. It will have to be approved by all member states (which I doubt will happen in its current state) and months and years will pass until the lawsuits and debates are over. Who even knows what the US government will look like at this point. Yes, it may be bad optics right now, but I feel like a lot of people assume this is a done deal and not just regular politics.
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It might not be as bad for the EU as the White House wants us to believe.
https://bsky.app/profile/jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social/post/3lv2kcg7cps2n
Sure, if you believe a single thing coming out of the White House. I really donβt.
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