Washington, 8 May 2026 (dpa/MIA) – US President Donald Trump on Thursday set a July 4 cutoff for the European Union to implement a trade deal, threatening to raise tariffs to "much higher levels" if it is not met.

Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, said he had "patiently" waited for the EU to fulfil its side of what he described as a “Historic Trade Deal.” 

He made the remarks after what he called a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!"

The warning follows a threat by Trump last Friday to raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the EU to 25% from 15%, accusing the bloc of failing to comply with the agreement. 

It remains unclear whether those planned increases, which he said would go into effect this week, are now on hold until the new July 4 deadline. A request for clarification by dpa to the White House was not immediately responded to.

Under the framework agreement reached by Trump and von der Leyen in August 2025, the United States and the EU agreed on a 15% tariff ceiling for most EU imports, including cars and auto parts. In return, the EU committed to scrapping tariffs on US industrial goods and easing market access for US agricultural products such as pork and dairy.

Now he has agreed to give von der Leyen until the US celebrates its 250th birthday - or July 4 - to fulfil its side of the deal or "their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."

The EU’s implementation of the deal has been slowed by tensions over other tariff threats by Trump, including disputes linked to his bid to annex Greenland, as well as legal uncertainty following a US Supreme Court ruling that found many of his existing tariffs unlawful.

The European Parliament said in March that further implementation would be subject to strict conditions, with member states also required to approve the necessary regulations before the agreement can take full effect. Negotiations between Parliament and EU countries are still ongoing, with no agreement reached at a meeting of representatives on Wednesday.

In a post on X, von der Leyen described her call with Trump as “very good” and said both sides remained fully committed to implementing the deal, adding that "good progress is being made towards tariff reduction by early July."

Photo: archive