EU offers US duty -free - Trump is facing trading decisions!

EU offers US duty -free - Trump is facing trading decisions!

On April 7, 2025, the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in a current announcement that the EU offered the United States a comprehensive agreement for the mutual cancellation of all tariffs on industrial goods. Despite the restrictive customs policy of US President Donald Trump, this is done, which has been criticized from various sides in recent years. According to vienna.at , the EU is ready to negotiate, but makes it clear that it will also take countermeasures if these conversations fail.

President Trump, who discussed with several leading politicians worldwide at the weekend, is supported by his consultant Kevin Hassett. Hassett explained that Trump will respond to good offers from trading partners, whereby Trump emphasized that talks only take place on the condition that the trading partners make payments annually. The EU's offer was already made before Thump's recent pay decisions and most recently renewed on Friday.

trade relationships and tariffs

The trade relationships between the EU and the USA are considerable in 2023, with a bilateral goods trade of 851 billion euros. The EU exported goods worth 503 billion euros to the USA and imported goods worth 347 billion euros, which leads to a trade surplus of 157 billion euros. The service trade was 746 billion euros, whereby a deficit of 109 billion euros was recorded on the EU, as from a question-answer catalog of the EU .

The EU has repeatedly emphasized that it is open to balanced negotiations to create equal competitive conditions. The United States currently raises tariffs from 25% to certain aluminum and steel imports, and since April 2, tariffs of 25% have also been on motor vehicles and parts. In view of these tariffs, uncertainty about US trade policy is an important risk for companies and investors in the EU.

consequences for EU exports

The United States is the largest export market in the EU, which has a significant impact on the export industry of Member States. As the ahk Austria depends heavily on a few companies and robust business relationships. For example, in Germany, 20% of maritime exports after the United States are eliminated to the ten most important business relationships. Simulations show that another tariff conflict could halve the EU exports to the United States, which in turn could lead to a decline in gross domestic product in Germany.

In a time when 83% of global trade takes place outside the United States, it is crucial for the EU to secure its position as an important trading player and possibly not only open up new markets in the USA, but also in countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.