Trump announces “historical” trade agreements with Great Britain

US President Donald Trump has advertised a trading pact with Great Britain as the success of his customs policy. “It’s a very big deal,” said Trump at a press conference in the White House.

He also wanted to make an agreement with the EU, said Trump-regardless of the threatening backdrop from the Brussels, which reserves the right to pay off US exports worth almost 100 billion euros.

For the United States, the deal with the British is the first agreement with an important trading partner since Trump’s far -reaching imposition of tariffs in early April. The US President indicated that many other agreements could follow.

Great Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Strander should feel confirmed in his course to avoid confrontation with the USA. “This is a really fantastic, historical day,” said Strander by phone during the press conference.

Trump had described the agreement as “full and extensive”. However, it was heard from British government circles that it was not a conventional free trade agreement. The deal concerns more specific areas and represent a framework for further negotiations.

So far, as for all other nations, the British has been valid for most export goods in the amount of 10 percent. 25 percent are even charged on steel and aluminum as well as cars and auto parts.

This should now be reduced to 10 percent for a quota of 100,000 vehicles, as US trade minister Howard Lutnick said. Aircraft parts from engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce should be able to be introduced to the USA. In return, Boeing aircraft will import Boeing worth ten billion US dollars (approx. 8.9 billion euros). Customs on British steel and aluminum are to be lifted entirely.

The trading volume between the United States and Great Britain was the equivalent of around 370 billion euros last year. In about 70 percent of British exports to the United States, however, these were services that are not affected by tariffs and only around 30 percent.

Trump had threatened the EU with a total of 25 percent, should there be no own agreement with the United States. The month of July is currently the period. So far, the Trump government has not dealt with an offer from Brussels for the mutual cancellation of all tariffs to industrial goods.

The US President wants to correct alleged trade weights with the tariffs and shift production to the United States. At the same time, customs revenues should serve to at least partially counter its expensive election promise of large tax cuts.

Great Britain’s Prime Minister Strauber always emphasized that the focus is on the rapid completion of a trading package with Washington. In contrast to Brussels, he did not want to threaten to counter -tariffs.

Strom had met Trump with a real charm offensive. During a visit to the White House in February, he presented the US President an invitation to visit King Charles III.

The reaction in Brussels was completely different. According to a statement, the European Commission is preparing further counter-tariffs for US exports worth up to 95 billion euros. These additional taxes could be raised on industrial and agricultural products such as cars, sweet potatoes and whiskey if negotiations with Washington should not lead to a solution.

Machines, car and aircraft parts, chemicals, as well as whiskey as well as whiskey and wine from the USA could also be affected by additional tariffs. The more than 200 pages long list of products that could be documented with tariffs from the Commission’s point of view should now be discussed publicly and by the economy.

At the same time, hope is that the list will also be analyzed in the USA and export -oriented companies are pushing the government in Washington to reach an agreement with the EU.

In parallel to the preparation of new possible counter-tariffs, the EU Commission wants to sue the United States because of the tariffs at WTO, as the authority continued to say. There, the dispute settlement committee then sets up an expert committee that assesses whether the tariffs violate WTO rules.

In addition to the additional taxes, the Commission is also considering EU export restrictions for certain products worth 4.4 billion euros in this case. This includes steel scrap and chemical products, which US companies have so far liked to import.

The agreement on a deal with Trump is primarily a symbolic success for Starmer. An approximation of the European Union is an economically important one, which is to make decisive progress at a summit on May 19 in London with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa.

There was always speculation about a dynamic agreement in the area of ​​animal health and food standards. This could be made more difficult by concessions to the USA. Chloral chicken and hormone -treated beef should not exist in British supermarkets. A British government spokesman emphasized that British food standards would not be reduced by the agreement with the United States.

The background should be that the EU as a whole is the more important trading partner for the UK. “Almost half of the British exports flow there. In the USA, the most important destination country” only “16 percent”, said Marc Lehnfeld from the German Press Agency in London.

Note: This article has been updated.