Trump proposes 50% tariffs on EU from June 1

US President Donald Trump has stated that tariff negotiations with the EU are going nowhere and therefore recommended imposing a 50 per cent tariff on the bloc starting June 1.

"The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with," Caliber.Az reports via Trump’s message in Truth Social. 

"Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump added.  

On April 2, President Trump implemented a sweeping new tariff system targeting imports from 185 countries. The policy established a base tariff rate of 10 per cent on all imported goods, but certain countries faced significantly higher duties: 34 per cent for China, 46 per cent for Vietnam, and 20 per cent for the EU. In response to the tariffs, Washington and Brussels promptly launched negotiations aimed at lowering the imposed duties and easing trade tensions.

However, on May 6, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič addressed the European Parliament to report that despite assurances from the United States regarding a “tariff freeze,” American tariffs currently apply to 70 per cent of EU exports — valued at approximately 380 billion euros ($430 billion) annually.

By Naila Huseynova