With a delay of several weeks, the USA has lowered import tariffs on vehicles from the EU. On Thursday, the German automotive industry and the EU Commission welcomed the measure, which had been announced in a joint statement in August. The president of the industry association VDA, Hildegard Müller, spoke on Thursday of an "important step." A spokesperson for the EU Commission expressed his delight. Meanwhile, negotiations on US tariffs on steel and aluminum from the EU are ongoing.
The USA had retroactively lowered its import tariffs on cars and car parts from the EU on Wednesday, effective August 1. From this date, only a 15 percent tariff is due instead of the previous 27.5 percent. However, the new surcharge is still significantly higher than before Trump's inauguration. According to the VDA, some automakers and suppliers are also suffering under the unchanged high tariffs on steel and aluminum.
VDA President Müller spoke of a still "perceptible challenge" with regard to the tariff policy of US President Donald Trump. However, the reduction at least creates "reliable framework conditions" for the companies, she explained. At the same time, she called on the EU Commission to continue to negotiate with the US government on the tariffs and possible cooperation on safety standards.
In recent months, US President Trump had massively increased tariffs for numerous trading partners. To avert even higher tariffs and to create planning certainty, the EU accepted a general tariff rate of 15 percent, which has been in effect for most products since August 7. A separate tariff reduction by the USA was necessary for cars.
In return, the EU Commission initiated the abolition of tariffs on US industrial products and promised the US government preferential market access for other products. These include, among others, nuts, dairy products, pork and bison meat, as well as lobster from the United States. After the EU had fulfilled its part of the agreement at the end of August, it took several weeks for the USA to lower the tariffs. This had temporarily caused nervousness in the industry.
A spokesperson for the EU Commission said on Thursday that Washington had taken the "necessary steps" after a meeting between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump on Tuesday in New York. In addition to vehicles, tariff exemptions for generics, aircraft and aircraft parts, and other products from the EU are now also in effect, retroactively to September 1.
The USA continues to levy a 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products. Talks on this would be continued on Thursday at a meeting between Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and US Trade Representative Jemison Greer, the Commission spokesperson said. Furthermore, the Commission is working on tariff exemptions for wine and spirits, which are primarily demanded by France.
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