Jorge Liboreiro

And with this, my dears, it's time to enjoy my (hopefully not so cruel) summer.

See you soon! 👋

Cruel summer turns up heat on Ursula von der Leyen’s second mandate From a motion of censure to a lopsided trade deal, the events of July threaten to derail the trajectory of Ursula von der Leyen's second term in office. #EuropeNews

First, a polarising motion of censure.

Then, a chaotic budget presentation.

Later, an underwhelming EU-China summit.

And finally, a disastrous trade deal with Trump.

I recap Ursula von der Leyen's very cruel summer.

This is, of course, a big disappointment for the European Commission, which had hailed both aspects as a victory in an otherwise disadvantageous deal.

Brussels is still in talks with Washington to finalise a joint statement and hopes both issues will soon be implemented.

Additionally, the White House will slap an extra 40% duty if it finds goods have been trans-shipped through other jurisdictions to avoid the tariffs.

However, the EU is the only trading partner (besides Canada and Mexico) that has secured an exemption to avoid the stacking of other applicable tariffs.

This means the 15% rate will act as a maximum, all-inclusive ceiling for the vast majority of products.

The 15% will apply as of 8 August.

🚨 The executive order issued by the White House does not implement two crucial aspects of the EU-US trade deal.
- It doesn't decrease tariffs on EU cars from 25% to 15%
- It doesn't introduce 0% tariffs for "strategic" products

At this stage, I don't even know what point they're making.

The European Commission is going to unbelievable lengths to sell the EU-US trade deal as a diplomatic win.

Under a 15% tariff, “EU exporters now benefit from a more competitive position,” Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said after the publication of the executive order.

Countries without a deal got varying rates, some of which match the rate of those who signed deals.

Some examples:
- Norway: 15%
- Turkey: 15%
- Iceland: 15%
- Thailand: 19%
- Pakistan: 19%
- Taiwan: 20%
- India: 25%
- South Africa: 30%
- Serbia: 35%
- Switzerland: 39%
- Laos: 40%

Tariff rates with countries that signed a deal:
- UK: 10%
- EU: 15% *
- Japan: 15%
- South Korea: 15%
- Indonesia: 19%
- Philippines: 19%
- Vietnam: 20%

* The EU-US deal includes a zero-for-zero scheme for some "strategic" products.

Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency

Here it is.

The White House has published the executive order adjusting the so-called "reciprocal" tariffs and codifying the recent trade deals, including the one with the European Union.

As negotiations to flesh out the deal continue, is it possible the US will ask for more concessions?

Howard Lutnick: "Taxes on digital services and attacks against our technology companies: that will be on the table."

Commission spokesperson: "Absolutely not."

Also, what will happen if the EU fails to meet its $750 billion energy pledge? Will it be considered grounds for terminating the deal?

The pledge is "not legally binding," the Commission says. "But it is sufficiently robust that we could present it to the US as a clear intention."

Another burning question is the future of wine and spirits, which remained unclear after Sunday's meeting.

At this stage, the Commission cannot guarantee that wine and spirits will fall under the zero-for-zero exemption.

This means that, for now, the sector "will be captured by the 15% ceiling".

However, don't think the joint statement and the executive orders will solve all troubles.

For example, the quota system for steel and aluminium (meant to reduce the punitive 50% tariff) won't be in place on 1 August.

"Our intention is to have something ready and workable as soon as possible."

If things go as planned with the executive orders, the Commission will suspend the €93 billion list of retaliation that member states had approved in case of a no-deal scenario and were scheduled to kick in early August.

Suspension "is certainly our intention if everything goes as expected."

Meanwhile, the EU and the US continue working to finalise a joint statement, which is meant to put an end to the fact-sheet war and solidify the mutual understanding.

The statement will not be legally binding but rather a "roadmap from which we take our cooperation forward."

🧵 Uncertainty remains over the EU-US trade deal.

The European Commission is waiting for the White House to publish the executive orders implementing the all-inclusive 15% tariff as of 1 August.

"The US has made these commitments," a Commission spokesperson says. "The ball is in their court."

Denmark’s migration reset sets stage for EU-wide rethink Denmark has reframed the debate on migration by adopting highly restrictive rules presented through the lens of progressive politics. #EuropeNews

For years, Denmark was the black sheep of the European Union’s migration policy.

Today, Denmark is leading the herd.

I examine how the Nordic country has reframed the migration debate by merging highly restrictive rules with a progressive agenda.

Countries Promise Trump to Buy U.S. Gas, and Leave the Details for Later

Full story on the impossible energy pledges that nations are making to satisfy, and possibly deceive, Donald Trump.

According to the New York Times, if the EU fulfills its pledge to buy $250 billion from American energy per year, the US will essentially become the bloc's only supplier.

Here's how the jump will look in practice.

South Korea Reaches Trade Deal With Trump

The US and South Korea reach a trade deal:

- 15% tariff for most South Korean products
- 15% tariff for South Korean cars, down from 25%
- $350 billion pledge to invest in the US
- $100 billion pledge to buy US LNG
- No changes to sensitive agricultural goods

Sounds familiar?

"While solid projections have been developed, the final volumes and breakdown between oil, LNG and nuclear fuel and fuel services will depend on different factors, including commodity prices, exchange rates, FID decisions taken by promoters, etc. These will be determined by commercial transactions."

EU-US trade deal explained - energy aspects EU energy imports from the US\nThe US already is one of the EU\'s top energy partners and, by far, the EU\'s first supplier of LNG, with 55% of our LNG supply coming from the US so far in 2025. The US...

The European Commission has published an explainer to clarify the $750 billion pledge on American energy made under the EU-US trade deal.

It offers to aggregate LNG demand on behalf of member states but admits it cannot guarantee the $750 billion will be reached by the end of 2028.

Poland's €45bn defence loan bid makes up third of EU total More member states may decide to request loans before the formal deadline in late November. #EuropeNews

18 member states have asked for a loan under the €150 billion SAFE programme:

🇧🇪🇧🇬🇨🇿🇪🇪🇬🇷🇪🇸🇫🇷🇭🇷🇮🇹🇨🇾🇱🇻🇱🇹🇭🇺🇵🇱🇵🇹🇷🇴🇸🇰🇫🇮

Poland alone requested about €45 billion.

But there's still money: the total requests amount to €127 billion.

"France has always maintained a firm and demanding position. It will continue to do so. This is not the end of the story and we will not stop there. This is a first step in a negotiation process that will continue."

The deal offers "visibility and predictability in the short term" because "it preserves French and European interests: customs duty exemptions for some of our major export sectors, including aeronautics, no concessions for our agricultural sectors, no questioning of our regulatory autonomy."

Accord douanier UE-États-Unis : « Pour être libre, il faut être craint. Nous n’avons pas été assez craints », regrette Macron Le chef de l’État a trouvé « surprenant » que l’accord douanier entre l’UE et Donald Trump se fasse… dans un club de golf en Écosse. Et lais

Emmanuel Macron reacts to the EU-US trade deal:

"Europe does not yet see itself as a power," he says. "To be free, you must be feared. We have not been feared enough."

Donald Trump says the US will impose 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian energy and weapons.

If it happens, which is far from guaranteed, it will be his first use of secondary sanctions to stop the war in Ukraine.

$10M in US-funded contraceptives sit in limbo in Europe Contraceptives valued at $10 million stored in Europe face destruction following the closure of a key American aid agency, amid backlash from global health groups calling for redistribution. #EuropeNe...

A stockpile of US-funded contraceptives worth $10 million is in limbo in a Belgian warehouse after the closure of USAID.

The US government plans to incinerate them, despite their expiration date being between 2027 and 2031.

@pausoler98.bsky.social and @martairaola.bsky.social have the story.