US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he is recommending a 50 per cent tariff on all goods imported from the European Union, starting June 1, 2025.
In a post on Friday, Trump claimed the EU had been “very difficult” to negotiate with and accused the bloc of exploiting the US through unfair trade practices. He wrote: “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with.”
“I am recommending a straight 50 per cent Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” he added.
Trump imposed a 20 per cent “reciprocal” rate on most EU goods on April 2 as part of his ‘Liberation day’, but halved that rate a week later until July 8 to allow time for talks. However, White House retained 25 per cent import taxes on steel, aluminum and vehicle parts and is threatening similar action on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and other goods.
Republican President said he plans to impose higher import tariffs on goods from the European Union—a long-time US ally—than on products from China, despite the latter being a key geopolitical rival. Earlier this month, the US reduced tariffs on Chinese imports to 30 per cent to pave the way for renewed negotiations with Beijing.
Trump’s frustration stems from the lack of progress in trade talks with the EU. While European officials have proposed eliminating tariffs on both sides, Trump has insisted on maintaining a baseline 10 per cent duty on most imports.
The tariff announcement marks a sharp escalation in trade tensions and could have significant implications for US-EU economic relations.
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However, as per a report by the Financial Times, EU offered a fresh trade proposal to the US on Thursday, which included phased tariff reductions on non-sensitive goods and cooperation in areas such as energy, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure. To further sweeten the deal, EU officials were also willing to extend a 2020 tariff-free arrangement on US lobster imports.
Despite these concessions, the offer appears to have fallen short of convincing President Donald Trump to agree to a deal that would apply his proposed 10% universal tariff to EU goods, as it already does for the UK. Meanwhile, the bloc was preparing to impose around $108 billion in retaliatory tariffs should the negotiations collapse.
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