A Chorus of Disappointment: Why Industries on Both Sides of the Atlantic Hate This Deal

In a rare display of transatlantic unity, industries on both sides of the Atlantic have joined in a chorus of disappointment over the new US-EU trade agreement. The pact is being widely criticized not just by European sectors that were left out, but also by American industries that will suffer from its continuation of tariffs.
In Europe, the disappointment is led by the French wine federation, which felt betrayed by the deal’s failure to secure tariff exemptions. They are joined by a host of other sectors, from Italian luxury goods to Swiss watchmakers, who now face a baseline 15% duty to access their most important market.
Across the Atlantic, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States has been equally scathing in its critique. It lamented the missed opportunity for tariff-free trade and warned of dire consequences for the US economy, including over $1 billion in losses and 12,000 job cuts, as tariffs on European spirits like Scotch and Cognac remain.
This shared sense of frustration reveals the deal’s fundamental flaw: it is a narrow solution to a specific problem (auto tariffs) that ignores the interconnected nature of global trade. By failing to provide broad, reciprocal relief, the agreement has left a trail of disappointed and damaged industries in both the US and the EU.