Fake romance to missed deliveries: How to protect yourself from three common scams
Learn about common scams and how to protect yourself from them.
BBC News1 min read
Trump gives 4 July ultimatum to EU to approve trade deal with US
TL;DR
President Trump has issued a July 4 ultimatum to the EU to eliminate tariffs on US goods or face much higher tariffs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that progress is being made towards reducing tariffs.
Key points
- Trump threatens higher tariffs on the EU by July 4
- EU must drop tariffs on US goods to zero
- Ursula von der Leyen claims good progress in negotiations
Mentioned in this story
Donald TrumpUrsula von der LeyenEuropean Union
President Donald Trump has threatened "much higher" tariffs on the European Union (EU) by 4 July if the bloc fails to drop its levies on the US to zero.
After a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said the EU had signed a "historic trade deal" with the US and agreed to cut its tariffs.
"I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels," he wrote on social media.
However, von der Leyen said the bloc was making "good progress towards tariff reduction" ahead of Trump's deadline.
"We remain fully committed, on both sides, to its implementation," she said on X.
The trade deal was struck by von der Leyen and Trump in July last year, but progress on enacting it stumbled on Wednesday after talks between EU lawmakers and governments ended without an agreement.
Under the agreement, US tariffs on exports from the EU would face a 15% tariff. Trump had threatened tariffs of 30% on European goods.
The deal received conditional approval from the European Parliament in March, when a majority of lawmakers backed legislation to implement the agreement, but added several safeguards aimed at ensuring the US honoured its side of the pact.
Parliamentarians voted they would only accept zero tariffs on US goods if European goods made with steel and aluminium were excluded from Trump's global 50% tariff on those metal products.
Despite the progress through parliament, the deal also requires endorsement by the 27 member states.
Earlier on Thursday, before Trump's social media statement, the European Parliament's chief negotiator Bernd Lagne said lawmakers and governments were making good progress on the negotiations but added "there is still some way to go".
The negotiators are set to meet for another round of talks on 19 May in Strasbourg.
"We remain more committed than ever to advance and defend Parliament's mandate so as to provide additional guarantees that will benefit citizens and companies in both the EU and the US," Lange said in a statement.
Last week, Trump accused the EU of "not complying with our fully agreed to trade deal" in a post on Truth Social, and said he would increase tariffs on trucks and cars to 25%.
The original agreement on tariffs and trade was reached after the US President finished a round of golf at his luxury resort in Turnberry, Scotland.
Q&A
What are the potential consequences of Trump's ultimatum to the EU?
If the EU does not eliminate its tariffs by July 4, the US may impose much higher tariffs on European goods.
What did Ursula von der Leyen say about tariff negotiations with the US?
Ursula von der Leyen mentioned that the EU is making good progress towards reducing tariffs and is committed to implementing the trade deal.
When is the deadline set by Trump for the EU to approve the trade deal?
Trump has set the deadline for July 4, coinciding with the 250th birthday of the United States.
