Washington, 1 August 2025 (dpa/MIA) - New US tariffs, including 15% on EU imports, will take effect on August 7 rather than on August 1, a US government official confirmed to dpa on Thursday.

The official said the later start date is intended to allow more time for the implementation of the new tariffs.

US President Donald Trump had originally set August 1 as the start date, which was also referenced in a recent EU summary of the US-EU agreement. That summary stated that "from 1 August, the US will apply this maximum tariff rate to most EU exports," referring to the 15% tariff on imports from the EU.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump had signed an executive order unveiling new tariffs for dozens of countries.

The White House has published a list of nearly 70 nations, along with the European Union, to which specific tariffs will apply. Among them are the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Japan.

For countries not included on the list, a default tariff rate of 10% will be imposed, according to the White House.

Trump increases tariff on Canada to 35%

Canada is an exception: Trump signed an executive order increasing the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35%, set to go into effect on August 1. He said the decision was due to Canada's failure to do enough to curb drug trafficking across the border into the United States.

At the beginning of April, on what he termed "Liberation Day," Trump announced a baseline levy of 10% on imports from almost all US trading partners, as well as higher so-called reciprocal tariffs on a long list of countries.

While the baseline 10% took effect a few days later, Trump abruptly suspended the majority of the additional reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to allow for trade negotiations.

Since then, some countries, including the UK and Japan, have struck deals with the US government to lower tariffs. For those that have not, Friday was originally set to mark the start of higher reciprocal tariffs and a more strained trading relationship with the US.

The EU agreed to a trade deal with the US on Sunday after months of high-stakes talks. Under the deal, exports to the US will be subject to a baseline duty of 15%. This also applies to cars, semiconductors, and pharmaceutical products.

The EU-US deal also establishes a framework for future tariff reductions on additional products.

The deal meant the bloc escaped paying the 30% tariffs threatened by Trump but has come under fire from many European leaders for leaning too far in Washington's favour.

Photo: dpa