The so-called ‘Turnberry deal’ was widely characterised as a humiliating capitulation by the EU in the face of furious tariff threats dished out by Donald Trump. But what was presented last July as a grand victory for the US leader was, in fact, only the start of a series of negotiations that pitched the European Parliament against the Council and Commission.
The three institutions have been tussling over the terms of the eventual deal, which notably featured parliamentarians pushing for stricter terms to allow the deal to be suspended if the US failed to comply – particularly on steel and aluminium tariffs, which should be no higher than 15%.
Seeing two of the Union’s main legislative bodies strive for an unfavourable agreement that would render the bloc subservient to its main trade partner has provided a strange spectacle. But it demonstrates the general anxiety that Trump inspires – better a bad deal than an awful deal, the logic goes.
The result is some precious “guardrails” that should grant the Commission some authority over EU-US trade – assuming, of course, it chooses to make use of them.
Roundup
‘Veggie’ meat ban returns – The Parliament on Tuesday gave final approval to a review of the EU’s agricultural market rules, featuring the controversial “veggie” meat ban. But the dispute is already spilling into negotiations on the bloc’s next farm market reform. The review was mostly aimed at boosting farmers’ bargaining power. Still, it became best known for a crackdown on ‘veggie’ labels that would bar words like “steak” and “bacon” for plant-based meat dupes in the coming years.
Kallas push for Israel sanctions rejected – Kaja Kallas has again been rebuffed by her colleagues at the European Commission after calling for new measures to prevent trade with illegal Israeli settlements. In a humiliation for Kallas, officials ruled out new restrictive trade measures, which have the support of France, Spain, and other EU countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Parliament to step up its food game – The European Parliament’s canteen in Brussels is slated to be expanded into a food court that could feed over 1,000 people, according to a confidential note seen by Euractiv. Roberta Metsola, the EU assembly’s president, led a discussion in the Parliament’s Bureau about the renovation of the canteen – widely unpopular among MEPs and staffers – at a meeting in Strasbourg last night.
Across Europe
Starmer gets an EU hearing – Britain and the EU will meet for a summit on 22 July, much later than London hoped, amid political turmoil and questions over the survival of Keir Starmer as British prime minister in the coming weeks. The beleaguered British leader welcomed the summit as “delivering on our promise to reset our relationship and put Britain at the heart of Europe”.
Italy competition regulator sets sights on Apple – Italy’s competition authority launched an investigation on Tuesday into the US tech giant Apple over potential violations of its interoperability obligations under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Under the DMA, Apple must open its operating systems and grant third parties free access to the hardware and software features it controls.
Lessons from Hormuz – Having spent the years since 2022 diversifying away from dangerous energy dependencies, the situation in Hormuz reveals that the underlying vulnerability was displaced but not yet solved. In a world where key chokepoints are weaponised, the only two options are to shape events or be shaped by them. Right now, Europe is being shaped, argues Euractiv columnist Chris Kremidas-Courtney.
