FILE PHOTO – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) greets U.S. President Donald Trump before a working session on global trade, Iran, and the war in Ukraine at the G7 summit in Evian. (is associated with: «German industry groups mixed on first year of EU-US trade deal») Michael Kappeler/dpa-Pool/dpa
One year on, German industry shared mixed reviews on Friday of the bilateral trade deal struck between the European Union and the United States.
“The Turnberry Deal has so far only provided limited stability for industry. The agreement was always a painful compromise,” Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), said of the deal.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump reached an agreement at Turnberry in Scotland on July 27, 2025, following a months-long tariff dispute.
However, the details were negotiated for several more weeks before a joint declaration on the bilateral trade agreement was finally issued on August 21, 2025.
Since then, a maximum surcharge of 15% of the value of goods has been permitted on most European imports to the US. Brussels made concessions, such as abolishing EU tariffs on US industrial goods.
Since the end of July, however, the flat-rate tariff on EU imports into the US has stood at 10%, using a different legal basis, a commission spokeswoman told dpa.
Sector-specific tariffs viewed critically
Niedermark considered it positive that the US was adhering “largely” to the 15% tariff ceiling. But at the same time, no solution has been found for the tariffs of up to 50% on steel and aluminium, or the 25% rates on certain truck imports.
“Regarding tariffs for steel and aluminium products, there is a threat of a renewed broadening of US measures after some interim improvements,” he said.