USA-EU/Auto Tariff Increase
USA-EU/Auto Tariff Increase
Dateline : May 1, 2026/File
Location : United States
Duration : 1'37
Beijing, China - May 2, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Screenshot of posts on X of Bernd Lange, chair of European Parliament's Committee on International Trade
FILE: Brussels, Belgium - Jan 14, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of headquarters of European Commission Berlaymont building, pedestrians, traffic
3. Sign for Berlaymont building
FILE: Brussels, Belgium - Dec 15, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of Berlaymont building, EU flags
FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of White House, U.S. national flag
FILE: Philadelphia, USA - October 2024 (CCTV+ - No access Chinese mainland)
6. U.S. national flag
FILE: New York City, USA - October 2024 (CCTV+ - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of buildings, traffic
FILE: Schwarzheide, Germany - 2022 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Various of auto assembly line in Mercedes-Benz factory
FILE: Wolfsburg, Germany - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of Volkswagen's production line; workers
FILE: Bremen, Germany - May 21, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Aerial shots of vehicles for export at port
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to increase tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union (EU) to 25 percent next week.
Trump said on Truth Social that he is "pleased" to announce that, based on the fact the EU is not complying with U.S.-EU trade deal, next week he will be "increasing tariffs charged to the European Union for cars and trucks coming into the United States," adding the tariff will be increased to 25 percent.
"It is fully understood and agreed that, if they produce cars and trucks in U.S.A. plants, there will be NO TARIFF," he stressed.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on International Trade, on the same day strongly condemned the U.S. plan to slap the auto tariff, declaring the move "unacceptable" in a post on X.
Lange said the EU and the EP are honoring the trade agreement reached with the United States in Scotland last year, and are working on legislation to implement it.
"We are currently drafting the legislation; we have a parliamentary position and aim to finalize this in June," Lange said.
Lange said the United States has repeatedly breached the agreement, including imposing tariffs on more than 400 products containing steel and aluminium. Those products are now subject to an average tariff of 26 percent, he said.
He noted that Trump's latest move demonstrates just how "unreliable" the U.S. side is.
A European Commission spokesperson said Friday that the EU will "keep options open" to protect its interests if the United States takes measures inconsistent with the joint statement between the two sides signed last year on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade.
The EU remains fully committed to a predictable, mutually beneficial transatlantic relationship, the spokesperson said, adding that should the United States take measures inconsistent with the Joint Statement, "we will keep our options open to protect EU interests."
The EU is implementing its Joint Statement commitments in line with standard legislative practice, keeping the U.S. administration fully informed throughout, the spokesperson said, adding that the EU maintains close contact with its U.S. counterparts while also seeking clarity on U.S. commitments under the deal.
The U.S.-EU trade deal was reached last year, under which the EU would suspend tariffs on all U.S. industrial products and introduce tariff-rate quotas for a wide range of U.S. agri-food products entering the EU market. In return, the United States would apply a 15-percent import tariff on most EU goods.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that the Trump administration's tariff policies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unconstitutional. But the Trump administration has since introduced a new set of import taxes based on other laws, seeking to impose a new tariff regime.
According to EU statistical agency Eurostat, the value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services reached 1.7 trillion euros (about 2 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, equivalent to roughly 4.6 billion euros per day.
ID : 8477434
Published : 2026-05-02 12:57
Last Modified : 2026-05-02 18:45:13
Source : CCTV Video News Agency,China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
More
