EU clears US tariff pact before Trump’s July 4 deadline
What’s new: The deal adds EU safeguards, including a suspension option and a sunset clause at the end of 2029.
European Union member states gave final approval June 25 to a tariff deal with the United States, clearing the way for it to take effect before President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline. The accord, struck in July 2025 by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sets 15% levies on most EU exports to the US and removes EU duties on US industrial goods. It also opens preferential access for some seafood and farm products. The approval follows a vote in the European Parliament earlier in June and ends months of delay on the EU side. Lawmakers added safeguards allowing the European Commission to suspend the pact if Washington fails to honor it or disrupts trade and investment, and set the agreement to expire at the end of 2029 unless renewed.