The U.S. May Raise Tariffs on Goods from the EU: Trump Sets a Deadline
8 May 11:57
U.S. President Donald Trump has given the European Union until July 4, 2026, to finalize a trade agreement with the United States. If Brussels fails to finalize the agreement, Washington may sharply increase tariffs on European goods, particularly automobiles. Trump wrote about this on the social media platform Truth Social following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Trump said he agreed to give the European Union additional time to implement the trade agreement signed last year in Turnberry, Scotland.
According to the U.S. president, the deadline coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States, which the country will celebrate on July 4, 2026.
“I agreed to give them until our country’s 250th anniversary; otherwise, unfortunately, their tariffs will immediately jump to much higher levels,” Trump said.
This marks a new phase of pressure on the European Union, which, according to Washington, is slowly fulfilling the terms of the trade agreement.
Trump had previously threatened to raise tariffs on cars from the EU to 25% from the current 15%.
Which agreement is this referring to?
This refers to the framework trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union, reached on July 27, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland.
Under this agreement, the US was to set tariffs on most European imports at 15%, while the EU was to reduce tariffs on American industrial goods to zero and provide duty-free quotas for certain agricultural and marine products from the US.
However, the implementation of the agreement in the European Union is proceeding more slowly than Washington had expected. This is precisely what prompted Trump’s new threats.
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What Ursula von der Leyen said
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmedthat she spoke with Trump. According to her, the main topic of the conversation was the situation in the Middle East, but the parties also discussed trade.
Von der Leyen stated that the EU and the US remain committed to implementing the agreements, and that “significant progress” has already been made toward reducing tariffs by early July.
Why the agreement has not yet been finalized
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU were supposed to advance the text of the agreements back in early May. However, the process stalled due to disputes between lawmakers and the national governments of EU countries.
Some MEPs are insisting on stronger guarantees so that the agreement takes effect only if the US also fulfills its obligations. At the same time, EU governments are in no hurry to include such provisions in the final document.
Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, previously stated that the EU is nearing a trade agreement with the US and could enact it into law in the near future.
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