EU and the USA: Commerce in crisis - can customs increases be averted?

EU and the USA: Commerce in crisis - can customs increases be averted?

In the current trade landscape between Europe and the USA, a lot is happening. Yesterday, June 14, 2025, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made calls with US President Donald Trump. Both leaders are determined to achieve a "good" trade agreement before July 9, such as french.news.cn. The conversation took place only one day before the top-class G7 summit and should loosen up the tense trade relationships between the two assets.

The Situation could not be more critical. Trump had previously announced that it would increase the tariffs to steel and aluminum imports from Europe to 50 %, which caused concern from European manufacturers. These seriously demand an end to the end of these exuberant trade restrictions, which are perceived as catastrophic for industry. The EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said that industry could suffer significantly under these circumstances and the need to advance the conversations, the more pressing.

under pressure of the time

On May 26, the Leyen and Trump announced that the break in the tariffs were extended by July 9 after the originally planned increase to June 1. The EU leadership made it clear that it is ready to actively and crucial in the negotiations. This could be a turning point, since the ongoing customs conflicts fuel fears in many European companies.

The fact that the EU had threatened countermeasures in May is particularly explosive. A possible plan provides for tariffs to be raised on US imports worth 95 billion euros if the negotiations are not expedient. This supports the EU's position, which is determined to defend its trade interests in a respectful framework, as is repeatedly emphasized by Sefcovic. In the past, Trump already described Europe as "worse than China" in trade matters, which has further reinforced the tensions.

common future?

With Trump's election victory in November 2024, the European Parliament commented on future transatlantic relations. Leading EU MPs urged a continuation of the cooperation, especially with regard to the discussions about the impending tariffs. The Polish Minister of European Affairs, Adam Szłapka, emphasized the importance of an open and fair trade, while Bernd Lange, chairman of the Committee on International Trade, pointed out that the possibility of counterfeiting could be a specter, which in turn could have the political water cooked.

The coming weeks could therefore be crucial for whether the trade relationships between the EU and the USA are steering in a positive direction or whether they continue to slip into the crisis. In view of the economic challenges and geopolitical tensions, it remains exciting how this political chess will develop.

Further information on the latest developments can be found in the reports of [lemonde.fr] (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/26/droits-de-douanee-entre-les-tets-unis-l-ue Ond-Trump-Euren-von-Leyen-AannonCent-Une-Prolongation-de-Pause-Jusqu-au-au-auillet_6608394_3234.html) and [europarl.europa.eu] (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/de/article/202502101/handel-wirts-eu-und- and