EU urges ‘respect’ after Trump threatens 50% tariffs

“The EU’s fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both,” EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said after a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“EU-US trade is unmatched & must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests,” he said.

President Trump recommended Friday a 50% tariff on the European Union after complaining that negotiations were not going well and Brussels was “difficult to deal with”.

Trump took to social media to share his thoughts, suggesting that the elevated duties should start on 1 June, in less than a month.

The US president said he wants to charge higher import taxes on goods from the EU, a long-standing US ally, than from China, a geopolitical rival that had its tariffs cut to 30% this month so Washington and Beijing could hold negotiations.

Trump was upset by the lack of progress in trade talks with the EU, which has insisted on cutting tariffs to zero even as the president has publicly insisted on preserving a baseline 10% tax on most imports.

“Our discussions with them are going nowhere,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% tariff on the European Union, starting on 1 June 2025. There is no tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States.”

Since mid-March, the Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on EU steel and aluminium, 25% on EU-made cars and 10% on all EU imports.

The 10% rate is supposed to remain in place until 8 July, when Trump’s 90-day negotiation window expires.

Previously, the EU had offered a zero-tariff trade deal with the US, but Washington didn’t accept that.

As part of the current trade negotiations, the European Union and the United States have recently shared position papers that were radically apart, Euronews learnt.

The US has recently agreed on a trade truce with China, leaving room to focus on the EU a bit more.

“Trump’s demands appear to reflect deep US frustration with the EU’s professional, calm and bureaucratic approach to trade negotiations — clashing with Trump’s willingness to quickly ink sexy-looking deals even if they mean very little in practice,” Agathe Demarais from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) said.

According to Demarais, clarity is lacking around US trade goals. These could include a wide range of demands from the EU, from curbing its economic ties with China to pledges to buy more US LNG or weapons.

“The EU does not do trade deals in a few hours: this is simply not the way the bloc works,” Demarais explained, adding that a 50%-tariff on the EU would be highly damaging for the US economy.