The European Union’s leaders discussed in the latest session on geoeconomics and competitiveness the US trade proposals ahead of the July 9 deadline for Donald Trump’s tariffs. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said the EU is ready for a trade deal with Donald Trump, but “all options remain on the table”.
“We are assessing it as we speak,” von der Leyen said of the U.S. proposal. “Our message today is clear. We are ready for a deal. At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement is reached. This is why we consulted on a rebalancing list.”
She said that the EU would “defend the European interest as needed.”
To remind, Brussels and the United States have been negotiating in a bid to avert a transatlantic trade war and had agreed to extend the June 1st deadline on the tariff until July.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social network, highlighting that he has agreed to extend the deadline to 9 July 2025.
The US president stated that Ursula von der Leyen had expressed a desire to enter into negotiations and proposed 9 July as a potential date.
European leaders met to decide whether they want to push for a quick trade agreement or keep fighting for a better deal, with the EU’s two biggest economies apparently at odds.
Von der Leyen said the EU had received the latest US document for further negotiations and the bloc was still assessing it.
“At our last session on geoeconomics and competitiveness, I briefed leaders on the current state of play in our trade talks with the United States. President Trump and I had a good discussion at the G7 Summit in Canada. Back then we agreed to speed up work with a clear goal: an agreement before 9 July. Today we received the latest US document for further negotiations,” she told reporters.
“In short, all options remain on the table.”
Aside from tariffs, the EU bloc also has to tackle a raft of other issues, including the 18th package of sanctions. European leaders failed to agree on the latest, 18th package of sanctions, with Hungary and Slovakia holding firm in their opposition to the proposed measures.
Specifically, Hungary and Slovakia blocked the 18th sanctions package as Brussels is pushing the REPowerEU plan, which would ban member states from buying Russian gas and oil. Hungary claims that this move would put an end to its energy security.
The minister of foreign affairs and trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó warned that a plan drafted by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky would put an end to Hungary’s energy security.
He also told the Financial Times’ Energy Transition Summit in Athens that the RePowerEU roadmap for phasing out the European Union’s imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027 would “ruin” Hungary, as the country couldn’t manage its energy supply without deliveries from Russia.
Von der Leyen at the joint press conference with the President of the European Council António Costa and the Polish prime minister Tusk following the meeting of the European Council of 26 June 2025 stressed the need to have an agreed package soon.
“Politically, we must keep up the pressure on Russia to engage in serious talks, starting with a real ceasefire. Our 18th sanctions package aims to do just that. We should be in a position to have an agreed package soon,” she said.
