ROME, August 5. /TASS/. EU leadership has adopted a communication strategy designed to create the impression that US President Donald Trump always comes out on top, Euractiv suggested in a recent article.
According to the publication, this impression of total EU subordination to American demands first took shape when European countries agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, and was reinforced by the announcement of the recent US-EU trade deal, in which the commitments made by the two sides are far from equal. In reality, the article noted, many details are deliberately left vague in order to avoid making it appear that Trump is bluffing, such as the supposed commitments for European investment. These investments were already expected from the private sector and are outside the European Commission’s control.
EU leaders, both at the national and supranational levels, are deliberately giving all the glory to the American president, the report said. This display of deference, the article argues, may be aimed at securing a temporary reprieve for Europe, as the EU has already managed to avoid the worst-case scenarios: keeping the US in NATO and preventing the 30% tariffs Trump initially threatened.
Trump initially intended to impose tariffs of 30% on the EU. On July 27, the EU and US struck a deal under which the White House agreed to reduce the proposed tariff to 15%, while Brussels pledged to purchase $750 bln worth of US energy and nuclear equipment and to invest $600 bln in the American digital industry.