One last point on the Trump-European Union “agreement,” or golf diplomacy.
n816 Media cannot resist sharing the latest from Malheurs Actuels (Actual Misfortunes), a satirical media outlet dedicated to ecological inaction that also has a social media presence on platforms like LinkedIn. Malheurs Actuels is famous for its covers, memes, and news briefs. It's similar to The Gorafi, but with a focus on environmental issues.
They promise that if reality exceeds fiction, they are not responsible—and (un)fortunately, this is increasingly the case.
For its front page on July 31, 2025, Malheurs Actuels must be starting to sense the winds of change, as evidenced by the fact that they have completely changed their name (to "Ouin-Ouin"). This cover recaps the moment when the "agreement" on customs duties was concluded (signed?) between the United States, represented by Donald Trump, and the European Union. This agreement was obtained practically under threat and establishes customs duties of 15% on European products entering the United States, among other provisions (though not aeronautical components). The aforementioned "agreement" also includes a commitment to allocate roughly US$1.1 trillion for investment in the US, with the objective of maintaining the right to sell European products there for a period of three years, including medical products.
It is important to note that European spending in the US includes several hundred billion dollars on fossil fuels. Preliminary estimates indicate that adhering to this amount will result in a substantial surge in greenhouse gas emission quotas. This issue has proven to be a point of contention in previous EU meetings, as member countries have struggled to reach a consensus on the matter.
It has also come to n816 Media attention that this so called "agreement" between Donald Trump and the European Union was concluded in the US president's private residence in Scotland (in Turnberry, in the south-west of Scotland), bypassing the local US consulate representation in Edinburgh, some 160 kilometers away. The legality of such an "agreement" is therefore called into question by these events, which may be indicative of either golf diplomacy or a procedural flaw.
This "agreement" is particularly regrettable because it does not include any concessions on the part of Europe, which has always been an ally of the United States. This is particularly unfortunate because Europe has the potential to balance the scales, given that digital services are not yet subject to any taxation in Europe because of fiscal optimisation of the Digital Service giants (GAFAM)
The hashtags #MalheursAcuels (#currentmisfortunes), #climateinaction, #ecologicalinaction, #satirical, #UnitedStates, #EuropeanUnion, #customsduties, and #tariffs refer to the current state of affairs concerning the trade relations between the United States and the European Union, as well as the potential impacts of additional customs duties and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration #donaldtrump. #satirical #press
n816 Media extend their best wishes to Malheurs actuels and hope that they continue to raise awareness about ecological inaction. May this noble mission be transformed into concrete action.
For further information, please visit malheursactuels.com
Mehdi Khouli
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