European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Scotland on Sunday to discuss a possible trade deal. The European Union has until August 1 to reach an agreement before Trump’s import tariff of 30 percent takes effect.
“After a good phone call with President Trump, we agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to talk about transatlantic trade relations and how we can keep them strong,” Von der Leyen wrote on X on Friday.
Trump said before his departure to Scotland that the chance of a trade deal with the EU before August 1 is “fifty-fifty” according to him. Without such a deal, a general import tariff of 30 percent on EU goods will take effect after that date. The EU has previously stated that it will not shy away from countermeasures.
Sources in Brussels told news agency Reuters that a framework deal might be concluded this weekend. This would consist of a general tariff of 15 percent on EU goods and a levy of 50 percent on steel and aluminum from the EU.
The European Commission announced on Thursday that it believes an agreement with the United States is “within reach.” Earlier this week, the US already concluded a deal with Japan on import tariffs of 15 percent. This fueled hopes in financial markets that the EU will also quickly reach an agreement with the US.
Trump is in Scotland partly because of the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeen. He will also speak to British politicians there, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer. According to The Financial Times, the British want to secure lower tariffs on, among other things, steel and whisky.