“Following a good call” with Trump, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the US President, Donald Trump, agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday 27 July to discuss trade relations and “how we can keep them strong”, announced Ms von der Leyen on the social network X on Friday evening. The latter has said on several occasions in the past that she considered it useful to meet Donald Trump in person when, and only when, there was a solid proposal for an agreement on the table.
Earlier this week, the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, informed the Member States that a concrete proposal was on the table for a 15% tariff on European exports to the United States (see EUROPE 13686/11). The EU also appears to have negotiated a reduction in US tariffs on cars and aluminium.
The meeting between Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen could be the opportunity to seal the deal. If this happens, the EU will cancel the countermeasures adopted on Thursday 24 July, which are due to come into force in part on 7 August.
Earlier on Friday, the US President had said that the probability of the EU and the US reaching an agreement on trade between the two parties was “50-50 - maybe less than that”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)