Trade agreement, Trump ultimatum to the EU/ Deadline until July 4, otherwise much higher tariffs
The European Union has until July 4 to fully implement its trade deal with the United States or face “much higher tariffs,” U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The announcement, which comes amid rising tensions between the EU and the U.S., pushes back on a threat Trump made last Friday, when he said tariffs on EU-made cars would rise from 15% to 25% sometime this week.
“I have been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill its part of the historic trade deal we agreed to in Scotland, the largest trade deal ever! A promise was made that the EU would fulfill its part of the deal and, under the deal, reduce its tariffs to zero!” the U.S. president wrote on social media.
Referring to the US Independence Day, known as July 4, he said: “I agreed to give them time until the 250th anniversary of our country, otherwise, unfortunately, their tariffs would immediately be raised to much higher levels.” The European Parliament and member states are currently negotiating legislation that would allow the tariffs to be lifted. A round of talks broke down on Wednesday evening, but lawmakers welcomed progress towards a possible resolution on May 19. The
main sticking point is a demand by lawmakers to introduce safeguards in case Trump violates joint commitments or threatens the territorial integrity of the bloc, as he did earlier this year when he threatened to forcibly seize Greenland from Denmark.
Trump's threat to raise tariffs from 15% to 25% has further emboldened critics of the deal, who believe that the US president will sooner or later back down and demand more concessions from the Europeans.
In her message on social media, von der Leyen expressed confidence that the pending legislation will be passed before the deadline. "We remain fully committed, on both sides, to its implementation. Good progress is being made towards reducing tariffs by early July," she said.
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