EU Freezes Ratification of 2025 Trade Pact After Trump Imposes New 15 % Global Tariff

Washington’s abrupt tariff hikes echo the Smoot-Hawley shock of 1930 and Nixon’s 10 % import surcharge in 1971—both unilateral moves that rattled allies and, in time, were rolled back under pressure. The incident highlights a decades-long tug-of-war over who controls US trade policy: Congress delegates power (1974 Trade Act, 1977 IEEPA), presidents test its limits, and courts occasionally yank the leash—as they did this week. The EU’s response fits a newer pattern: large blocs arming themselves with anti-coercion tools rather than relying on the WTO’s slow remedies, signalling an erosion of the post-1995 multilateral order. On a century horizon, this moment may be remembered less for the 5-point tariff bump than for accelerating the shift toward weaponised interdependence—where regulatory and judicial venues, not just gunboats, become the frontline of great-power competition.