Trump's letter
After the new tariffs on Canada, it's the European Union's turn. US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Brussels containing the new tariffs for member states. Starting August 1, 2025, we will apply to the European Union a 30% customs tariff on EU products exported to the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs, Trump wrote on his social media account Truth.
Trump's letter to the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen opens with emphatic and self-congratulatory tones: It is a great honor for me to send you this letter, which demonstrates the strength and commitment to our trade relationship and the fact that the United States has agreed to continue working with the European Union despite having one of the largest trade deficits with you. So
we invite you to participate in the extraordinary US economy,
the number one market in the world.
A few lines below the most important announcement: Starting August 1st, we will impose a tariff of only 30% on the European Union on all products shipped to the United States... 30% is much lower than what we need to eliminate the trade deficit. As is well known, Brussels and the 27 EU member states were aiming to wrest an agreement from Washington that would include maximum tariffs of 10%. A 30% tariff will also be imposed on goods coming from Mexico.
Trump's letter contains other intimidating phrases and restrictive conditions; for example, goods transited through other countries to avoid a higher tariff will be subject to that higher tariff. Or:
If you react with further tariffs, your amount will be added to the initial figure. For Europe, the White House sees only one way out: There will be no tariffs if the European Union, or companies within the EU, decide to build or produce products in the United States, and, in fact, we will do everything possible to obtain approvals quickly, smoothly, and professionally—in other words, within a few weeks. It goes without saying that the European Union must allow the United States full and open market access.
