Trump announces trade framework deal with the EU, which imposes 15% tariffs on European goods
The United States has reached a framework trade agreement with Europe, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods and avoiding a spiral arrangement between the two allies, accounting for one-third of global trade.
The announcement comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at a golf course in western West Scotland to drive the tough deal.
“I think it’s the biggest deal ever,” Trump said after an hour-long meeting with von der Leyen.
“We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, which is important,” she said. “It will bring stability. It will bring predictability.”
The deal also includes $600 billion in investment in the United States and a large purchase of U.S. energy and military equipment.
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But compared to the initial ambitions for a zero-zero tariff agreement, the benchmark tariffs of many in Europe can be seen as a result, albeit better than the threatened 30% interest rate.
The deal reflects part of a framework agreement last week that the U.S. competes with Japan.
“We agree that tariffs on cars and everything else will be 15% direct tariffs,” Trump said. However, a 15% baseline rate does not apply to steel and aluminum, and for this purpose, a 50% tariff will be retained.
Trump has so far reached a deal with the UK, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam despite his administration’s failure to deliver on the promise of “90 deals” within 90 days.
He regularly opposes the European Union, saying it is “to screw the United States up.”
Trump said when he arrived in Scotland that the EU wanted a “very bad deal” and said Europe was “very unfair to the United States” when he met Von der Leyen.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, his main bug is the commodity trade deficit with the EU, which hit $235 billion in 2024. The EU pointed out the U.S. surplus, which corrected the balance. Trump also talked about the “hundreds of billions” of tariffs on Sunday.
On July 12, Trump threatened to impose a 30% tariff on EU imports starting August 1, a failure to reach a comprehensive trade deal after weeks of negotiations with major U.S. trading partners.
The EU has prepared 93 billion euros ($150 billion CDN) of anti-election campaigns for U.S. goods, and if there is no deal, Trump is in advance of 30% tariffs.
Some member states have also pushed the group to use its most powerful trade weapon, anti-stubborn tool, to achieve U.S. services.
