To be fair, their new carriers will be able to operate catapults and conventional aircraft should they need to.
They are not currently being built with them, but the design is supposedly able to to accomodate them.
They'll be part of an EU navy before their careers are done, hence why giving them the ability to operate American aircraft totally independantly is not a great idea...
The bottom line is we dont trust the EU with US intrests or national security. The truth hurts but that is the reality of the situation.