Seem like we have already forgotten that it was totally normal for the US to spy on „friends“.

Even after the disclosure that NSA spied on Angela Merkel, Barack Obama agued on German TV that, „the surveillance was necessary for international security“.

So when Donald Trump says he needs Greenland for international security, and even threatens with military force, it really is no surprise that the US is spying on „friends“ again.

When goods and services are taken into account, the EU has a small surplus with the US of €48 billion; this is the equivalent of just 3% of total EU-US trade (€1.6 trillion).

Nevertheless, considering the actual trade in goods between the EU and US, in practice the average tariff rate on both sides is approximately 1%. In 2023, the US collected approximately €7 billion of tariffs on EU exports, and the EU collected approximately €3 billion on US exports.

While the EU applies a 10% Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff on cars, it’s important to note that the US imposes a 25% tariff on pickup trucks—the largest segment of the US auto market, accounting for about one-third of all vehicle sales.

Ehhh…. They are already overwhelmed in German, how do you imagine it working in English? I went to the immigration office in my city once, they barely spoke English, it’s really sad. If they genuinely want to attract scientists/experts, they need to establish a dedicated office for that purpose, or perhaps an office at the EU level. How does this process work in the Netherlands?