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EU aims for US trade deal ‘in principle’ ahead of ‘impossible’ July 9 deadline

Jul 3, 2025, 12:15pm EDT
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Denmark.
Ritzau Scanpix/Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Reuters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday said the European Union is ready to strike a trade deal with the US, but warned that the complexity of any agreement made the July 9 deadline “impossible.

Von der Leyen pointed to the EU’s recent deal with the UK — which secured tariff cuts for sectors like car manufacturing — as a possible model. But the sheer scale of transatlantic trade meant that any agreement prior to US President Donald Trump’s July 9 deadline would be “in principle” only.

Her remarks come as the EU’s trade commissioner headed to Washington on Thursday, racing to hammer out something to avoid an up to 50% tariff on EU goods before Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff pause ends.

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