I waited patiently: Trump gives the EU until July 4 to implement the trade deal with the United States

Donald Trump gives the EU until July 4 to apply the trade agreement

• Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would give the European Union until July 4 to apply the trade agreement reached with the United States last autumn in Scotland.
• The European Parliament approved it at the end of March, with conditions.
• However, the internal procedures of the bloc involve negotiations with the member states before it is formally applied.

Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would give the European Union until July 4 to apply the trade agreement reached with the United States, after a phone call with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The United States will celebrate on this day the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Britain, which is considered the country’s birth date. After this deadline, the tariffs imposed by Washington on the EU “would immediately skyrocket to much higher levels,” warned the American president on his Truth Social network.

The European Parliament approved at the end of March, with conditions, the trade agreement between the United States and the EU concluded last autumn in Turnberry, Scotland. However, the internal procedures of the bloc involve negotiations with the member states before it is formally applied.

“The largest trade agreement ever reached”

In the Turnberry agreement, the EU committed to removing the tariffs applied to most American imports in exchange for capping 15% of the tariffs imposed by Trump on European products.

“I have patiently waited for the EU to fulfill its part of the Historic Trade Agreement we reached (…), the largest trade agreement ever reached,” wrote the President of the United States. “The EU has promised to fulfill its part of the contract and (…) reduce its tariffs to ZERO,” he added. He described his call with Ursula von der Leyen as “very good.”

On Friday, Donald Trump threatened the EU with imposing new customs surtaxes on cars and trucks exported to the United States. In response, Brussels assured that the EU was fulfilling its part of the agreement, and that Washington had been kept informed “throughout the proceedings” aimed at ratifying it legislatively. Discussions between the Twenty-Seven and the European Parliament on finalizing the trade agreement with the United States have progressed, but without reaching a conclusion at this stage, it was learned in Brussels from Wednesday night to Thursday.