A senior European lawmaker has admitted that the current state of the EU-US trade relationship is “not easy to explain to the workers,” a candid acknowledgment of the political and social pressure building as a result of expanding American tariffs. The comments from German MEP Bernd Lange highlight the growing fear that the trade dispute will ultimately cost European jobs.
Lange, who chairs the European Parliament’s influential trade committee, made the remarks in the context of the US’s “derivative” products policy. He argued that the new tariff regime, with its unpredictable and ever-growing list of targeted goods, is “really harming a lot of industries.”
His admission reflects the difficulty of promoting the benefits of transatlantic trade when workers see their employers facing chaotic and costly new barriers. When a motorcycle factory is forced into costly compliance measures, as Lange described, the knock-on effect on job security and wages is a real and immediate concern.
The situation creates a political problem for pro-trade advocates. It becomes challenging to argue for open markets when a key partner is seen to be acting arbitrarily and causing direct harm to local industries. This can erode public support for trade agreements and fuel protectionist sentiment within the EU.
Lange’s statement is a crucial reminder that trade disputes are not abstract economic issues; they have real-world consequences for workers and their communities. As uncertainty mounts, the political challenge of justifying the current trade framework will only grow more difficult.