EU replaces its top trade official following deal with Trump

Earlier today Politico reported (and now the FT confirms) that Sabine Weyand, the Director-General for Trade at the European Commission has been fired. The big surprise of last year's trade war to me was how quickly the EU caved. It was the one region with the size and clout to stand up to Trump and hit back with counter-tariffs but instead it quickly rolled over and accepted a 15% rate. Trump threatened 30-60% and the EU simply blinked and at the same time agreed to remove duties on most US industrial imports and certain "lower-sensitivity" agricultural products. It was a resounding win for Trump and today's move notably comes after Mark Carney said that some countries were regretting making deals. "A lot of countries rushed into deals with the U.S.. They weren’t really worth the paper they were written on," Carney said in an interview. In late 2025, Weyand became a central figure in explaining the controversial "Turnberry Deal" (or the EU–US tariff framework) struck between the EU and the Trump administration. Rather than a traditional negotiation, Weyand famously described the process as a strategic "stabilization" effort. In a candid admission to German media (specifically Süddeutsche Zeitung) and later the European Parliament, Weyand explained that the EU did not "negotiate" this deal in the traditional sense. Instead, they accepted it to prevent the US from: Abandoning Ukraine: Ensuring continued US engagement and security guarantees for Ukraine's defense. Exit from NATO: Stabilizing the transatlantic security umbrella, which Weyand admitted the EU was still too dependent upon to risk a full-scale trade war. Many Members of the European Parliament criticized Weyand’s department for "capitulation," but Weyand maintained that a "rules-based understanding" was better than the "unilateral shocks" the Trump administration originally planned. Ditte Juul Jørgensen is said to be her replacement. This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.