The EU takes a first step in implementing the US commercial agreement, waiting for US fees to European cars
Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen discussed in Turnberry, Scotland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / AP / Profimedia
The European Commission on Thursday proposed the elimination of customs duties in the US industrial goods as part of a commercial agreement meant to lead to retroactive reductions in US tariffs, Reuters reports.
The proposals are the first step taken by the EU to implement the July 27 Framework between the US leader, Donald Trump, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen, through which the EU accepted a 15% basic tariff to avoid a harmful trade war.
The US agreed to reduce customs duties to cars manufactured in the EU to 15%, from 27.5%, from the first day of the month in which the EU legislative proposal will be presented – that is, from August 1.
The preliminary agreement ended the conflict between the two largest trading and investment partners. Understanding is an asymmetrical one, in which the EU is obliged to reduce European customs duties and to buy more American products in the energy sector, while Washington maintains rates for 70% of European exports to the US.
US president criticized the EU
Trump periodically criticized the European Union, saying in February that it was “formed to shoot the United States.” The American leader set out to reduce the US Commercial Deficiency with the EU, which was $ 235 billion in 2024.
The general position of EU governments was to accept the agreement as a lower evil, being aware that Trump was to impose 30% rates for almost all imported goods from the EU.
The EU legislative proposal will have to be approved mostly by the 27 EU Member States and the European Parliament, a process that could take weeks, but the reduction of US tariffs for EU will occur before this time.
The proposal consists of two legislative acts – one for eliminating tariffs to industrial goods and offering preferential access to seafood and certain agricultural products in the US, the other for prolonging the treatment of customs taxes, newer in the case of processed lobsters.
