US President Donald Trump recommended imposing 50% tariffs on the European Union on Friday.
“The European Union, which was formed with the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50 percent Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social.
On April 2, 2025, Trump announced the introduction of tariffs of varying amounts against dozens of countries, including EU, at a rate of 20%. Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz then called Trump’s decision an attack on the trading system that had created “prosperity around the world.”
On April 9, Trump postponed the entry into force of higher tariffs on EU countries for 90 days, explaining that European countries had expressed their willingness to negotiate. EU representatives, meanwhile, said they were ready to respond to Trump’s protectionist measures. In particular, the European Commission proposed introducing 25% tariffs on a number of American goods, including diamonds, dental floss, sausages, nuts and soybeans.
On April 17, Trump estimated the likelihood of reaching a deal with the EU as “100%.”
“There will be a trade deal, 100%. … Of course there will be a trade deal, very much. They want to make one very much, and we are going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it. But it’ll be a fair deal,” he said. A month later, it became known that the US and the EU had exchanged documents for the first time as part of the negotiations on tariffs.
Sabine Weyand, a spokesperson for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, admitted that it might not be possible to remove tariffs in sectors that Washington would like to develop on American territory (such as steel and car manufacturing). The official noted that the EU should act calmly and not give in to the US desire for a “quick win.”
