London, July 28 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that they have successfully negotiated a trade agreement in which the United States will enforce a baseline tariff of 15 percent on goods from the European Union (EU).

This declaration was made during a joint press conference on Sunday afternoon, following discussions held at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

While both leaders portrayed the agreement as a move towards achieving a “trade balance” and fostering a more equitable trade relationship, the deal permits the United States to apply a broad 15 percent tariff on EU products while ensuring zero-tariff access for various strategic American exports. In return, the EU has committed to purchasing $750 billion in American energy and investing an additional $600 billion in the United States.

During the press briefing, Trump asserted that the deal would facilitate the re-entry of American vehicles into the European market and make US agricultural products easier to access in the EU. He noted that pharmaceuticals will be excluded from this agreement, while the existing 50 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminum exports to the United States will remain unchanged.

However, in a separate briefing, von der Leyen specified that pharmaceuticals would indeed fall under the 15 percent tariff framework. She left open the possibility of additional trade actions from the US in the future.

When questioned about the 15 percent tariff on EU carmakers—an increase from the previous 2.5 percent under the Biden administration—von der Leyen responded that before this agreement, European vehicles faced an overall tariff of 27.5 percent to enter the US market. This included a 25 percent levy enacted during Trump’s previous term, plus the original 2.5 percent. The new 15 percent rate, she argued, signifies a reduction from that previous level.

Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, criticized the newly established deal as “unsatisfactory” and “significantly imbalanced,” warning that it could jeopardize the EU's economic stability and job security.

“This is a deal with a slant. Clearly, concessions have been made that are difficult to bear,” Lange expressed in a statement on Sunday.

Before the agreement, over 70 percent of EU exports to the United States faced tariffs, including 50 percent on steel and aluminum, 25 percent on automobiles and parts, and a 10 percent duty on most other goods. Trump had warned that if a deal was not reached by August 1, the 10 percent tariff would escalate to 30 percent.