Trump Pressures EU to Implement US-EU Trade Deal by July 4

On Thursday, May 7, U.S. President Trump stated that he had demanded the European Union must formally implement the trade agreement reached with the United States by July 4, or Washington would immediately impose significantly higher tariffs on European goods.

Trump made the remarks following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On Thursday, Trump warned on his social media platform Truth Social that if the EU fails to fulfill the agreement by the deadline, "tariffs on EU goods imposed by the U.S. will immediately rise to higher levels."

In late March, the European Parliament had conditionally approved the trade deal reached between the U.S. and the EU last summer in Turnberry, Scotland; however, internal EU procedures still require further consultations among member states, and the agreement has not yet officially entered into force.

Under the agreement, the EU pledged to eliminate tariffs on most U.S. imports, while the U.S. agreed to cap tariffs on European goods at 15%.

Trump said he had "been patiently waiting for the EU to fulfill its commitments under this historic trade agreement" and called it "the largest trade agreement ever." He emphasized that the EU had promised to reduce tariffs to "zero."

On Truth Social, Trump stated he was willing to extend the deadline to July 4—the date of the U.S. celebration of its 250th anniversary—but warned that if the EU failed to meet its obligations by then, the U.S. would immediately raise tariffs.

Trump also said the conversation with von der Leyen went "very smoothly."

Last Friday, Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on automobiles and trucks exported from the EU to the United States.

In response, the EU stated that Brussels has consistently been fulfilling the agreement's terms and has been "continuously informing the U.S. about progress in the relevant legislative processes."

According to EU sources, although recent negotiations among the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament have made progress on approving the trade deal, a final consensus has not yet been reached.

The Cypriot government, currently holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, said progress has been made on "several key issues," and plans to hold a new round of talks with European Parliament members on May 19.

Michael Damianos, Cyprus’s Minister of Energy, Trade, and Industry, said the EU is "fully committed to continuing constructive dialogue with the European Parliament to complete the necessary legislation as soon as possible."

German lawmaker Bernd Lange, responsible for advancing the agreement through the European Parliament, also said: "We have made good progress, but there is still work to be done."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1864599783670848/

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