On Sunday 27 July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signs a trade agreement with US President Donald Trump. MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez describes this agreement as "the reflection of European weakness" and "the result of well-meaning ideologies that destroyed our energy policy, weakened our defence and undermined our agriculture".
Under this agreement, instead of the 30% tariffs on European products announced by Trump, there will ultimately be only 15% on certain products from 1 August. In addition, the European Union commits to $750 billion in energy purchases and $600 billion in additional investments in the United States, according to Donald Trump.
Our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, David Clarinval, remains cautious: "We are avoiding a sudden rise in US tariffs from 1 August and laying the foundations for a more stable transatlantic relationship. The United States is our leading partner outside the EU: preserving this link is essential for our economy."
Our President, Georges-Louis Bouchez, adds: "Above all, we need to revive our industry. And to do that, we must remove rules of every kind. The most important European directive would be the one that scraps dozens of texts hindering our creativity, our production and our investments. Dynamism has left Europe."
For now, according to the European Commission President, this is only a framework agreement. A final legal agreement now needs to be reached. David Clarinval concludes: "We would have preferred to keep the original situation, but we can be satisfied with this agreement." And MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez reminds us: "Belgium must speak with a different voice to build a strong Europe!"