With a 4 July deadline looming, the European Union said it will begin enforcing its side of a tariff agreement with the United States from tomorrow, clearing a hurdle set by President Donald Trump.
Agreed last July by Mr Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the pact applies 15% levies to most EU exports bound for the US, while allowing US industrial goods to enter the 27-member bloc tariff-free.
“Promise made, promise delivered,” EU spokesman Olof Gill told reporters after the legal texts needed to activate the bloc’s part of the agreement were published in the EU’s official journal, paving the way for the measures to take effect the next day.
“The European Union always follows through on its commitments that we make in trade agreements,” Mr Gill added, saying the bloc looked “forward to continuing the work with the US in the context” of the deal.
Still, the EU’s move arrives after months of delay, as President Trump’s threats toward Greenland and a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of his tariffs complicated the political backdrop.
EU member states gave the agreement their final sign-off last week, after lawmakers in parliament approved it earlier this month.
In the process, politicians built in a set of safeguards, including powers for the European Commission to suspend the arrangement if Washington fails to honour its commitments or takes steps that disrupt trade and investment.
Parliament also inserted a sunset clause, setting the deal to expire at the end of 2029 unless both sides choose to renew it.
The rollout follows President Trump’s warning last year that he could hit European countries with tariffs of 100% if they pressed ahead with a digital services tax.
