Earlier right now Politico reported (and now the FT confirms) that Sabine Weyand, the Director-Normal for Commerce on the European Fee has been fired.
The large shock of final 12 months’s commerce conflict to me was how shortly the EU caved. It was the one area with the dimensions and clout to face as much as Trump and hit again with counter-tariffs however as an alternative it shortly rolled over and accepted a 15% price. Trump threatened 30-60% and the EU merely blinked and on the identical time agreed to take away duties on most US industrial imports and sure “lower-sensitivity” agricultural merchandise.
It was a convincing win for Trump and right now’s transfer notably comes after Mark Carney stated that some nations have been regretting making offers.
“Quite a lot of nations rushed into offers with the U.S.. They weren’t actually
definitely worth the paper they have been written on,” Carney stated in an interview.
In late 2025, Weyand turned a central determine in explaining the controversial “Turnberry Deal” (or the EU–US tariff framework) struck between the EU and the Trump administration. Somewhat than a conventional negotiation, Weyand famously described the method as a strategic “stabilization” effort.
In a candid admission to German media (particularly Süddeutsche Zeitung) and later the European Parliament, Weyand defined that the EU didn’t “negotiate” this deal within the conventional sense. As a substitute, they accepted it to stop the US from:
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Abandoning Ukraine: Making certain continued US engagement and safety ensures for Ukraine’s protection.
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Exit from NATO: Stabilizing the transatlantic safety umbrella, which Weyand admitted the EU was nonetheless too dependent upon to threat a full-scale commerce conflict.
Many Members of the European Parliament criticized Weyand’s division for “capitulation,” however Weyand maintained {that a} “rules-based understanding” was higher than the “unilateral shocks” the Trump administration initially deliberate.
Ditte Juul Jørgensen is alleged to be her alternative.
