this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
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Europe

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I hope they do make the details public, but it does look like EU bent the knee with this one.

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[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

So disappointed in Van der Leyen - this is weak! Steel tax remains at 50%! And EU is going to buy more military equipment from US, madness!

The only positive is that signed agreements doesn't really seem to mean anything anymore...

[–] Laser@feddit.org 4 points 16 hours ago

So disappointed in V[o]n der Leyen

So I have to assume you're not German, because otherwise you'd have known that she's a garbage politician. She got promoted to a EU position because she was no longer tenable nationally. The reason she doesn't get flak from Germany right now is that she's from the conservative party that recently got elected.

It seems get Wikipedia pages got somewhat scrubbed because a lot of the scandals are missing. Here are some from memory:

Internet stop signs: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/ein-stoppschild-furs-reine-gewissen-4758619.html

Lost court case against weapon manufacturer H&K: https://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/lg-koblenz-8o19815-heckler-koch-g36-sturmgewehr-nicht-mangelhaft-vone,-das-n-der-leyen-verliert (actually least egregious one on the list, but still incompetent)

The consulting affair that involved cronyism while she was minister of defense: summary at https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ursula-von-der-leyen-und-die-berateraffaere-faktisches-komplettversagen-a-55458b1c-64bd-436b-acdf-75afcef0f5d3

Destroyed evidence: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/vonderleyen-handydaten-101.html

[–] slickgoat@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

So true. Australia has a Free Trade Agreement with the US signed in 2011 (I think?). And, America enjoys a trade deficit with us. We buy more of your shit than you buy from us. Still, Trump hit us with a 10% tariff for some goddamn reason. We've paid about a billion dollars on a down payment for Virginia Class Submarines that we will never, ever see.

It will be about a century before the world will trust the US again.

[–] bluefootedbooby@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Is there anything right Van der Leyen did as the commissioner? πŸ™„

[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

Don't ask what she did before moving to EU.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

Yeah, not a fan, but she's a good representative of the EPP and all it stands for.

[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago

Yes, absolutely - and that's why I'm disappointed here. I expected her to do better, not just kneel to "emperor" Trump.

[–] hornedfiend@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 day ago

That’s my impression also. It looks like the USA is just looking to dump their shitty old military equipment and Ursula just said yes and then felt the need to justify it with weak stand on it…