President Trump announced on 26 May 2025 that the effective date for his new 50% tariffs, in addition to the previously announced 20% tariffs on EU goods, has been pushed to 9 July 2025 after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on 26 May 2025 that the effective date of his new 50% tariffs on top of the previously announced 20% tariffs on EU goods has been extended to 9 July 2025 after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Trump Administration’s plan to implement a 50% tariff increase on EU goods was driven by growing frustration over slow trade negotiations with the European Union.

Earlier, on 23 May 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would recommend a 50% tariff on EU imports, starting 1 June 2025.

“Our discussions with them (EU) 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 posted. 

The European Commission announced a public consultation on 8 May 2025 regarding possible countermeasures and WTO litigation in response to US tariffs, should ongoing EU-US negotiations fail to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.

On 25 April 2025, EU Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis stated that the US and EU still need to work on an agreement to avoid tariffs on each other’s goods.

The White House paused most of Trump’s tariffs, introduced in early April after a sell-off of US assets like government bonds and the dollar.  Trump kept a 10% tax on most imports and later reduced his 145% tax on Chinese goods to 30%.