EU trade chief Šefčovič urges US to reinstate 15% tariff arrangement
- Maroš Šefčovič used a May 5 meeting in Paris with U.S. trade chief Jamieson Greer to press Washington to restore the EU-US deal’s 15% tariff cap. - The dispute is concrete: U.S. tariffs now stack to more than 15% on some EU goods, and Trump has threatened 25% duties on EU cars. - That matters because the July 2025 Turnberry deal was sold as a stability pact, and its first anniversary now looks like a stress test.
Tariffs are back at the center of the EU-US relationship — not because Brussels wants a new fight, but because the old truce is starting to look shaky. On Tuesday, May 5, EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Paris and pushed for a “swift return” to the 15% all-in tariff ceiling both sides agreed last summer. The point was simple: businesses can live with a bad number more easily than with a moving one. Right now, the number is moving. ### What was the original deal? The deal was struck on July 27, 2025, between Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump, then fleshed out in a joint statement on August 21. For the EU, the big win was supposed to be predictability: most EU exports to the U.S. would face a single 15% ceiling, with no tariff stacking, and some categories would get zero or near-zero treatment. The Commission still describes that as the core bargain. ### Why is Brussels upset now? Because the U.S. is no longer applying that clean ceiling in practice. After the White House added a blanket 10% surcharge on top of existing duties, some EU goods ended up facing tariffs above 15%. Euronews notes cheese as one example where combined duties can reach 30%. From the EU side, that is not a technical glitch — it is the whole point of the deal being broken. ### Why does the 15% number matter so much? Because “15% all-inclusive” was the promise. Not 10% plus whatever was already there. Not 15% for some sectors and surprise extras for others. The Commission’s own explainer spells this out in unusually plain language: the 15% rate was meant to be a clear ceiling ### What happened in Paris? Šefčovič and Greer spent about 90 minutes on the most urgent parts of the deal. Brussels said Šefčovič updated Greer on the EU’s timeline for removing duties on imported U.S. industrial goods — something Washington wants done faster — but also made clear that the U.S. needs to restore the Turnberry terms. Both sides agreed to step up engagement, which is diplomatic language for “this is not settled.” ### Why are cars such a flashpoint? Because Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on EU cars and trucks to 25%, up from the 15% level tied to last year’s deal. That hits one of Europe’s most politically sensitive export sectors, especially Germany’s automakers. Once cars move above the agreed ceiling, the rest of the agreement starts to look less like a trade truce and more like a temporary pause. ### Is the EU fully implementing its side? Not yet — and that is part of the tension. Brussels is trying to push through legislation needed to cut EU tariffs on U.S. industrial goods to zero, but member states and the European Parliament are fighting over safeguards. Some MEPs want EU tariff cuts to depend on the ### Why is the timing suddenly important? Because the one-year anniversary lands at the end of July. The Commission is openly saying it wants the main features of the deal back in place before then. That makes the next few weeks a deadline, not just another round of trade grumbling. Basically, Brussels is stability. ### Bottom line? This is not really a fight over whether 15% is low. It is a fight over whether an agreed cap still means anything. If Washington restores the ceiling, the deal survives as an ugly but workable ceasefire. If it does not, Europe will treat the Turnberry pact as a promise the U.S. no longer intends to keep.
