But the worst-case scenarios were so bad that Europe’s trade negotiators gave up on returning to anything close to those halcyon days. Over the past few months Mr Trump, convinced that the EU was ripping off his countrymen,

The Europe trade deal will see the U.S. impose a 15% import tariff on most EU goods − half the threatened rate but much more than Europeans hoped for.

Both sides hailed the agreement as the biggest ever. But it will come at a cost to the European Union, and many details have yet to be nailed down.