US President Donald Trump has given the European Union until July 4 to fully implement the trade deal struck last year in Scotland, warning that tariffs on the bloc would “immediately jump to much higher levels” if Brussels failed to deliver on its commitments.
The announcement followed what Trump described as a “great call” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 7, in which the two leaders also discussed the conflict in the Middle East and a shared determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, the US President said he had 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!” He added: “A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!”
He continued: “I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.” July 4, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of US independence.
The new deadline appeared to ease, at least temporarily, the threat made the previous Friday, when Trump said tariffs on EU-made cars and trucks would be hiked from 15 per cent to 25 per cent within days. The automotive sector accounts for around 8 per cent of all trade between the US and the EU, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Von der Leyen described the conversation as “very positive” and said both sides remained “fully committed” to the agreement’s implementation. “Good progress is being made towards tariff reduction by early July,” she said in a social media post.
Earlier in the week, the Commission President had pushed back against Trump’s threats, saying “a deal is a deal” and that Brussels was “prepared for every scenario”. She also reminded Washington that, under the 15 per cent all-inclusive cap agreed last year, the US could not unilaterally raise tariffs.
The original framework, sealed at Trump’s golf resort in Turnberry in July 2025, set a 15 per cent tariff on most EU exports to the US and committed the bloc to purchasing $750 billion (€680 billion) in American energy, according to The Hill. The deal averted a wider trade conflict after Trump had previously threatened a 30 per cent levy.
Implementation has, though, been complicated by a US Supreme Court ruling in February, which found Trump had lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose his initial sweeping tariffs. Since that judgment, the administration has applied a 10 per cent tariff on EU goods while reviewing trade imbalances and national security concerns.
On Iran, Trump said he and Von der Leyen were “completely united” in opposing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, while the Commission President warned that “the risks to regional stability and global security are too great”.
