President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened the European Union (EU) with steeper tariffs if the bloc fails to ratify its trade agreement with Washington by July 4, raising pressure on Brussels as implementation of the pact drags on.
“I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels,” Trump said in a Truth Social post after what he described as a “great call’ with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The warning comes despite both sides publicly signaling progress on the deal, which was struck last July and set tariffs on most European goods at 15%.
Von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone in a post on X, saying the two leaders had discussed Middle East tensions and agreed that Iran “must never possess a nuclear weapon.” She also said the two sides remained committed to implementing the trade pact.
“Good progress is being made towards tariff reduction by early July,” she wrote.
Trump Ramps Up Pressure On Brussels
Trump said the EU had failed to uphold commitments made under the “historic” trade agreement negotiated in Turnberry, Scotland, including a pledge to cut tariffs on U.S. industrial goods to zero and provide duty-free quotas on certain American farm and sea produce
“I’ve been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal,” he wrote.
The July 4 deadline carries symbolic significance, marking 250 years since the American colonies declared independence from Britain.
Trump has increasingly criticized the pace of implementation in recent weeks and last week vowed to raise tariffs on European cars and trucks to 25%.
Legal, Political Hurdles Delay Deal
The agreement still requires approval from the EU’s 27 member states before it can formally take effect.
The rollout also became more complicated after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing a broad range of tariffs. However, sector-specific duties, including those on automobiles, were unaffected.
Following the ruling, the Trump administration imposed a temporary 10% tariff while pursuing alternative legal pathways for its wider trade agenda. On Thursday, however, a U.S. trade court ruled that these temporary global duties are unjustified under a 1970s trade law.
EU officials have continued negotiations with member states and lawmakers, with talks expected to continue later this month.
Image via Shutterstock
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