The European Union's trade chief has voiced confidence that Washington will honour a landmark bilateral trade deal even as the tariff landscape shifts rapidly, with a court-ordered flat 10% import levy potentially set to rise further, and threatening to push duties on some EU goods beyond the levels agreed at the table in July 2025.
European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic expressed confidence on Thursday, 5 March 2026, that the US will uphold last year’s trade agreement between the two partners, citing reassurances from American officials.
President Donald Trump’s executive order last month introduced a 10% tariff on imports following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn most of his global tariffs.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also indicated on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, that these rates would probably increase to 15% later this week.
The Supreme Court ruled on 20 February 2026 that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by imposing broad global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, with the court dividing 6–3 in Learning Resources v. Trump. Following the ruling, which struck down the previous emergency tariffs of between 10% and 50%, the US began collecting a new flat 10% global import tariff on 25 February 2026.
The current situation differs from the EU-US trade deal negotiated in July 2024 at Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which established a 15% US tariff on most EU exports.
The new surcharge adds to the most-favoured-nation rate, potentially creating higher tariffs for some EU products than the original agreement intended.
