U.S. President Donald Trump said he is giving the European Union until July 4 to implement commitments under a trade agreement or face significantly higher tariffs on EU exports, including automobiles.
Trump announced the deadline after what he described as a “great call” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which the two leaders also agreed that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had agreed to delay tougher trade measures until the United States celebrates its 250th Independence Day anniversary on July 4.
“I’ve been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal we agreed in Turnberry, Scotland, the largest Trade Deal, ever!” Trump wrote.
“A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO! I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels,” he added.
Last week, Trump unexpectedly announced plans to raise tariffs on EU vehicles to 25% from the previously agreed 15%, accusing the bloc of failing to comply with the terms of the 2025 agreement.
The trade deal, reached in Scotland last July, called for the European Union to eliminate tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and introduce duty-free quotas for selected American agricultural and seafood products.
However, legislation required to implement the agreement has moved slowly through the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen said after the call that both sides remained committed to implementing the deal and that progress was being made toward reducing tariffs by early July.
“We also discussed the EU–U.S. trade deal. We remain fully committed, on both sides, to its implementation,” she said in a post on X.
I had a very good call with @POTUS.
We discussed the situation in the Middle East and our close coordination with regional partners.
We are united that Iran must never posses a nuclear weapon. Recent events have clearly shown that the risks to regional stability and global…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 7, 2026
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, acknowledged progress in negotiations but said lawmakers still faced disagreements over safeguards sought by several EU member states.
Some European lawmakers are pushing for measures that would suspend the agreement if the United States fails to comply with its obligations. Others want tariff reductions tied directly to U.S. actions or limited in duration.
The next round of talks between U.S. and EU negotiators is scheduled for May 19.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the EU’s implementation of the agreement was already overdue and warned that additional measures beyond auto tariffs could be considered if compliance does not improve.
“The autos is just one element,” Greer told Bloomberg Television. “There are other elements to the deal where the United States remains in full compliance in contrast to where the Europeans have been for many months.”
