U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union starting on 1 August, posting letters on his Truth Social platform today. The tariff is steeper than the 20% suggested last April.
It appears that weeks of negotiations between the E.U. and the U.S. had failed to reach a trade agreement, though some EU officials described today’s announcement as a negotiating tactic.
President Trump said that the tariff was being introduced because of a trade imbalance between his county and the EU bloc of 27 member states – with US officials saying that EU member states were exporting more to American markets.
In today’s letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Trump said that “our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal”.
“Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge The European Union a tariff of only 30% on EU products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs,” he wrote.
“Please understand that the 30% number is far less than what is needed to eliminate the trade deficit disparity we have with the EU.
“As you are aware, there will be no tariff if the European Union, or companies within the EU, decide to build or manufacture product within the United States and, in fact, we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely – In other words, in a matter of weeks.”
The Republicans against Trump group said the tariffs meant that “US consumers will pay more for cars, wine, cheese, olive oil, and plenty of other everyday items”.
Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen threatened retaliation over US President Donald Trump’s decision to tax certain EU exports, saying the move “will not go unanswered”.