EU sticks to Trump's 9 July tariff deadline despite US extension hints
The Commission's comments come after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs' – which upended the global economy in early April but were quickly suspended for 90 days – would enter into force at the start of next month.
However, Bessent sparked confusion by denying that 1 August represents 'a new deadline'. Trump suggested last Friday that the duties will 'probably start' on 1 August but said on Sunday that 'most countries' will have their tariff rates set by 9 July.
'We're working towards 9 July as the point where we want to have a minimum agreement in principle with the US,' Commission trade spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters.
'As I understand it, what the US side said was that in the absence of an agreement by 9 July (...) some tariffs would kick in on 1 August. So, we're still working towards 9 July,' he added. Trump's tariff frenzy Trump has already slapped 50% tariffs on all US steel and aluminium imports since his return to the White House earlier this year. He has also imposed 25% duties on cars and car parts and a 10% 'universal' levy on most other exports.
If introduced, Trump's 'reciprocal' duties – which aim to match other countries' purported trade barriers – could see the EU's 10% baseline levy rise to 50%.
Around €370 billion worth of EU exports – 70% of the bloc's total shipments to the US – are currently affected by Trump's levies, according to EU officials.
Brussels has drawn up a retaliatory package targeting €21 billion worth of US goods, which is currently set to enter into force on 14 July. It is also preparing a separate €95 billion list.
Trump has repeatedly condemned the EU's trade surplus with the US, which he claims amounts to $250 billion (€212 billion) per year and is a result of unfair discrimination against American exporters.
According to the most recent EU data, the bloc ran a total surplus of €50 billion with the US in 2024, with a surplus in goods of €198 billion and a deficit in services of €148 billion. 'Various countries' will receive US letters today On Sunday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that letters announcing 'various countries'' tariff rates will be delivered from 6pm Brussels time today.
Questions about whether the EU will be among the letters' recipients should be directed to US officials, Commission spokesperson Gill said. Neither the Office of the US Trade Representative nor the US Department of Commerce immediately responded to requests for comment.
'I don't know what will happen in the course of the day,' an EU diplomat said when asked whether they expect the EU to be among the recipients.
The confusion comes after EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič's last-ditch visit to Washington last week failed to secure a deal, despite the bloc's increasing willingness to accept steep levies on some of its exports to clinch an agreement.
Brussels said on Monday that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a 'good exchange' during a rare phone call with Trump on Sunday.
Gill stressed that the Commission, which oversees the bloc's trade policy, remains 'fully committed to finding a deal that benefits EU businesses, consumers, and the overall global economy'.
'We're fully geared up to get an agreement in principle by Wednesday, and we're firing on all cylinders to that effect,' he added.
(vib)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
2 hours ago
- Euractiv
France claims victory on EU online child protection guidelines
France believes its recent – and very public – intervention in the online child protection debate has won the day, as it says the Commission's new guidelines on the topic will now pave the way for it to ban social media for kids under 15. On Monday, the Commission unveiled much-anticipated guidelines for protecting minors online, as part of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The initiative has drawn significant attention and backing from EU countries, industry, and children's rights groups, many of which have already set out their own positions in anticipation of the official DSA guidelines. A French-led movement of EU countries seeking to ban social media for kids under 15 believes its position has been affirmed in the final Commission guidelines – a shift from an earlier draft, released in May, which did not clarify this issue. "The European Commission has just confirmed the possibility for Member States to ban social networks for those under a certain age," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a triumphant post on X on Monday evening. "This marks an important victory for France," added the country's digital minister, Clara Chappaz, in a press release which also stated that the guidelines have paved the way for banning social media for kids. Choose your own digital majority The final guidelines allow member countries to set their own so-called "digital majority" age, instead of establishing one at the EU level. On Monday, Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said that creating an EU-wide digital majority is not possible due to "different cultures" and "differences between member states." Danish Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage Olsen, who on Monday presented the guidelines alongside Virkkuen, stressed that age verification is "absolutely essential" – referencing the Commission's prototype age verification tool, which could underpin country-specific apps capable of restricting content deemed inappropriate for children. EU lawmaker Christel Schaldemose, who is currently finalising a Parliamentary report on the protection of minors, also welcomed the Commission approach – saying she's "particularly glad that Member States retain the flexibility to implement their own age verification systems for social media." However, she added that she would still like the Commission to adopt a "more ambitious stand on age verification" for social media platforms. Children's rights groups also welcomed the guidelines. Manon Baert, from the 5Rights Foundation, said they "have the potential to make a real difference for children across Europe", adding: "Now companies must deliver." But industry representatives are unhappy, with tech lobbies warning that allowing EU countries to decide their own digital majority age risks fragmentation. "The door is still open for national laws, which is disappointing," said DOT Europe, a Brussels-based association representing Big Tech. Meta, which has lobbied strongly for an EU-wide digital age majority alongside enhanced parental controls, also cautioned against introducing varying rules across countries. (nl, aw)
Euractiv
2 hours ago
- Euractiv
Netherlands, Denmark look to join Trump's Ukraine arms plan
One of the major questions hanging over the new plan is how fast it can get desperately needed weaponry to Ukraine as it faces nightly Russian bombardments. Euractiv is part of the Trust Project AFP with Euractiv Euractiv Jul 15, 2025 13:36 3 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Denmark and the Netherlands on Tuesday said they were looking to participate in US President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy American weapons for Ukraine. Trump on Monday announced a tougher line on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, as he gave the Kremlin 50 days to end the fighting or face massive new economic sanctions. Together with NATO chief Mark Rutte, he also unveiled a deal under which European members of the military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the United States – including Patriot anti-missile batteries – and send them to Kyiv. Economic powerhouse Germany has already said it is going to play a leading role in the scheme and has offered to buy two Patriot systems. "It's clear and that's a plea to all the other European NATO members, all of them have to open their wallets. It's about quickly getting the amount together that is needed in particular for air defence, because Ukraine is massively under pressure here because Putin amps up attacks as soon as peace is remotely being discussed," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday. The exact payment and list of equipment to be purchased will be determined by working groups in the next few weeks, but is also confidential, he added. Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars L ø kke Rasmussen said that his country was "absolutely ready" to join the scheme and would contribute with cash. "We have to work out the details," he said. His Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp said the Netherlands was looking into participating in the scheme "with a positive inclination". "We will look into what we can do in relation to Mr Trump's announcements and take it from there," he said. Time is of the essence One of the major questions hanging over the new plan is how fast it can get desperately needed weaponry to Ukraine as it faces nightly Russian bombardments. Rutte said that the scheme could allow European countries to send weaponry to Ukraine from their stocks that would be then replaced by new US arms. But few countries possess systems like Patriots, and those that do have frequently argued that they cannot spare more. He said that beyond Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, other NATO allies Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Britain were among the potential buyers. The apparent pivot from the US leader away from an attempted rapprochement with Russia's Vladimir Putin will please Washington's European allies. "After yesterday's announcements, it's clear that leadership is once again coming from the US," said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys. European countries admit that helping Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia's invasion would be very difficult without access to US weaponry. Nick Alipour contributed reporting. (vib) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project
Euractiv
2 hours ago
- Euractiv
Defence lobby pushes for ‘bare minimum' €100bn arms fund in next EU budget
The EU's new long-term budget should include €100 billion for defence programmes, ten times the €10 billion assigned right now, the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) said in a position paper out Tuesday. The European Commission will unveil the structure and the figures for its next seven-year budget due to start in 2028 on Wednesday, with the €100 billion figure repeatedly touted as the amount needed to seriously fund a rearmament drive. The €100 billion budget, including an innovation programme, a production boost fund and incentives for joint purchases, with a focus on buying local, 'represents the bare minimum for starting to rebuild Europe's defence industrial capacities after accumulating a defence investment deficit of €600 billion during the decades of the 'peace dividend'," the ASD position document reads, Documents seen in advance of the formal budget publication by Euractiv show the Commission is planning on merging all defence industry programme with other funds aimed at boosting strategic sectors, notably in tech and those favouring EU-made products and procurement. The €10 billion in the EU's current budget for the arms industry goes on ammo production, innovation under the European Defence Fund and procurement incentives. EU countries altogether spent €326 billion on defence in 2024 . By way of comparison, the US Department of Defense pitched nearly three times as much for next year, a whopping $961.6 billion (€818 billion). The first one to raise the €100 billion figure, was former Defence Commissioner Thierry Breton. Since then, his replacement, Andrius Kubilius, along with Saab CEO Micael Johansson and several Eastern European capitals have also pushed the figure. For French EPP MEP Christophe Gomart, defence should make up 5% of the next seven-year budget, which works out at roughly €91 billion. Defence could even rise to €100 billion, he told Euractiv, by reducing the EU's humanitarian aid or scaling down the bloc's diplomatic network. EU countries could also factor cohesion funds into their defence expenditure, he added. Charles Cohen contributed to reporting. (jp)
