Trump to raise US tariffs on EU cars to 25%, accusing bloc of not complying with deal

Published connected 01/05/2026 - 18:39 GMT+2•Updated 19:22

US President Donald Trump said connected Friday that helium volition summation the tariffs charged connected cars and trucks from the European Union to 25% adjacent week, a determination that could further jolt a planetary system already rattled by the Iran war.

Trump said successful a societal media station that the EU "is not complying with our afloat agreed to Trade Deal."

He gave nary further reasons for the planned hike, but the announcement comes astatine a peculiarly tense clip for relations betwixt the White House and the EU.

On Thursday, Trump renewed disapproval of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling him to absorption connected ending the Ukraine warfare alternatively of "interfering" connected Iran.

Germany would apt beryllium deed hard by a crisp tariff connected cars and parts, arsenic it is liable for a important magnitude of EU car exports.

He besides referred to European allies Spain and Italy arsenic "absolutely horrible" for their refusal to get progressive successful the Iran war.

Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to the commercialized woody past July which acceptable a 15% tariff connected astir goods.

Both the US and the EU had antecedently confirmed their committedness to preserving the commercialized framework, known arsenic the Turnberry Agreement, which was named aft Trump’s play people successful Scotland.

But the presumption of the 2025 woody was archetypal formed into uncertainty aft the Supreme Court this twelvemonth ruled that the Republican president lacked the ineligible authorization to state an economical exigency and complaint tariffs connected EU goods.

The archetypal statement had been a tariff ceiling of 15% connected goods from the EU, but the Supreme Court ruling reduced that to 10% arsenic the Trump medication launched a caller acceptable of import taxes based connected different laws.

The Trump medication is successful the mediate of investigations connected commercialized imbalances and nationalist information risks to enforce a caller tariff regime, which could yet enactment the statement with the EU successful hazard of violation.

The EU had said it expected the bilateral woody would prevention European car manufacturers betwixt €500-600 cardinal a month.

The worth of EU-US commercialized successful goods and services amounted to €1.7 trillion successful 2024, oregon an mean of €4.6 cardinal a day, according to EU statistic bureau Eurostat.

"A woody is simply a deal," the European Commission said successful February aft the Supreme Court ruling.

"As the United States' largest trading partner, the EU expects the US to honour its commitments acceptable retired successful the Joint Statement, conscionable arsenic the EU stands by its commitments. EU products indispensable proceed to payment from the astir competitory treatment, with nary increases successful tariffs beyond the wide and all-inclusive ceiling antecedently agreed."

Additional sources • AP, AFP