WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has issued a firm ultimatum to the European Union, stating that the bloc must finalise and ratify its long-delayed trade agreement with the United States by July 4, failing which it will face significantly higher tariffs.
Speaking on Thursday, Trump said he had held a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding the matter.
He added that both sides had agreed to extend the deadline until what he described as “our Country’s 250th Birthday,” referring to the United States’ Independence Day celebrations this year.
However, he warned that if the EU does not comply by then, tariffs on European goods would “immediately jump to much higher levels.”
The Fourth of July this year carries added symbolic significance as it marks 250 years since the American colonies declared independence from British rule, according to AFP.
The United States and the European Union had previously reached a trade understanding in July last year, under which tariffs on most European exports entering the US were set at 15 per cent.
However, a final and formal version of the agreement has yet to be approved by EU member states, a delay that has reportedly frustrated Washington.
In response to ongoing delays, Trump had earlier vowed to increase duties on European automobiles and trucks to 25 per cent, accusing the EU of failing to honour the spirit of the agreed framework.
Meanwhile, Cyprus, currently holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, has expressed its intention to sustain constructive engagement in the negotiations.
Officials have indicated plans to maintain “positive momentum” during discussions scheduled for May 19 with Members of the European Parliament.
Separately, Trump reiterated his dissatisfaction through his social media platform Truth Social, stating that he had been “waiting patiently” for the EU to fulfil its commitments under what he described as a “Historic Trade Deal” concluded in Turnberry, Scotland.
He claimed it was “the largest Trade Deal, ever,” and insisted that the EU had agreed to reduce tariffs to zero as part of the arrangement.
The dispute now places renewed pressure on transatlantic trade relations as the July deadline approaches, with the possibility of heightened economic tensions if no agreement is reached.
