On Sunday, President Trump declared that the United States would temporarily rescind a proposed 50% duty on goods from the 27-member bloc by deferring new tariffs on the EU until July 9. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, requested a five-week delay in the tariffs, which were originally scheduled to go into effect on June 1.
U.S. delays EU tariffs until July 9 per Von Der Leyen Request
Trump claimed on social media that von der Leyen had called him to request additional time. “It was my privilege to do so,” he said, as well as that, “she said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out.”
The postponement comes after Trump’s unexpected announcement on Friday that he would raise tariffs sharply. In April, Trump announced a 90-day halt to previously proposed 20% tariffs, leading EU leaders to believe that talks were moving forward. But there was a dramatic change in tone with the Friday statement.
Trump claimed the talks had stalled and vented his frustration on Truth Social. He cited a number of grievances regarding EU trade policies, such as value-added taxes, regulatory obstacles, and sanctions against American companies. How both sides handle trade with China continues to be another point of contention. Although the EU hasn’t made up its mind, it has indicated that it is prepared to cooperate with Washington in order to combat Chinese subsidies, particularly in the steel industry and other important sectors.
Past Tensions
For years, tensions have existed between Trump and the EU. He has frequently criticized the significant trade imbalance and charged the bloc with abusing U.S. trade policy. In response, European leaders have declined to engage in negotiations regarding certain demands made by Trump, especially those pertaining to taxes. Additionally, some EU leaders have stated that they will not accept a deal that maintains Trump’s 10% baseline tariff, which the United Kingdom agreed to in a previous agreement.
The U.S. and EU have given themselves just over a month to reach an agreement by postponing the tariffs. Trump’s reversal essentially returns negotiations to where they were before Friday. Von der Leyen tweeted on X saying that the EU is “ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” and that in order to “reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
