EU chief to defend Trump trade deal in parliament | Business

Entering year two of her second mandate, von der Leyen's "State of the Union" speech will aim to rally parliament behind her agenda on the bloc's twin priorities of defence and competitiveness. But she can expect a cool welcome from an assembly that found little to celebrate in the accord with Trump -- despite a broad admission that Europe's security dependence on America left its hands tied for the tariffs fight. "Everyone agrees it's a bad deal that reflects Europe's weakness," said Valerie Hayer, leader of parliament's centrist bloc Renew. The July accord locks in a 15-percent tariff on most EU exports to the United States, with exemptions for some areas -- including aircraft -- but not for key others,...