BRUSSELS (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump returned to his new threats on Sunday to impose customs duties of 50% on the European Union as of June 1, agreeing to postpone this deadline in order to make it coincide with that fixed for the end of commercial negotiations with the block on July 9.
Donald Trump has brandished new threats to customs duties last week by targeting the EU, which would be targeted by a surcharge of 50% on its products exported to the United States as of June 1, saying that trade negotiations did not progress quickly enough.
He returned to his statements after the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told him that the EU needed more time to reach an agreement and asked her to delay the taxation of new customs rights until July.
The tenant of the White House told journalists on Sunday that he had accessed the request of Ursula von der Leyen, explaining that she had told him “we will come together soon to see if we can find a solution”.
Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday on the social network X that the EU was ready to advance quickly in commercial negotiations with the United States.
The EU is currently subject to American customs duties of 25% on steel, aluminum and cars, as well as “reciprocal” customs duties of 10% on almost all other products, rights which could reach 20% at the expiration of the 90-day period on July 9.
(Jan Strupczewski and Jeff Mason; Camille Raynaud)
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