US President Donald Trump has given the European Union until 4 July to ratify a trade deal struck last year, warning of “much higher” tariffs if the deadline is missed. The ultimatum marks a climbdown from his earlier threat to tear up the agreement by hiking tariffs on car imports.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had been “waiting patiently” for the EU to fulfil its side of the deal, which he described as the “largest Trade Deal, ever!” He added that he had spoken to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and agreed to give her until America’s 250th birthday to implement the agreement.
The deal, reached at Trump’s Scottish golf course in Turnberry last July, set tariffs on most European goods at 15%. However, the EU has been slow to ratify it, with the European Parliament suspending the process twice due to Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and increase tariffs.
Despite the tensions, progress has been made in recent talks. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said “considerable progress” was achieved in Brussels this week, with the next round of negotiations scheduled for 19 May. German MEP Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, indicated that a deal was close and that MEPs would work “expeditiously” to finalise it.
One sticking point remains the inclusion of steel in the deal, with MEPs pushing for a 50% tariff on steel exports to the US. The EU must also secure approval from its 27 member states before the deal can be implemented. Von der Leyen expressed optimism, stating that “good progress” had been made towards ratification by early July.
