Las dos versiones de un acuerdo de aranceles y comercio, Von der Leyen y Trump.

Madrid, 30 de julio de 2025

Francisco Aldecoa, Presidente del Consejo Federal Español del Movimiento Europeo

El principio de acuerdo adoptado el día 27 de julio en Escocia por el presidente Trump y la presidenta Ursula von der Leyen no tiene vinculación jurídica y constituye una primera aproximación que, claramente, resulta muy controvertida. Para poder realizar un análisis más preciso del acuerdo, presentamos los dos documentos: la versión europea en el Anexo A y la versión estadounidense en el Anexo B. Como se verá, existen algunas diferencias entre ambas, pero en cualquier caso no se trata de un acuerdo definitivo ni con efectos jurídicos.

1. Fact Sheet: The United States and European Union Reach Massive Trade Deal (ESTADOS UNIDOS)

MAKING GLOBAL HISTORY: Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump announced a trade deal with the European Union (EU), fundamentally rebalancing the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

• The deal marks a generational modernization of the transatlantic alliance and will provide Americans with unprecedented levels of market access to the European Union.
• The deal bolsters America’s economy and manufacturing capabilities. The EU will purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion in the United States, all by 2028.
• Through decisive leadership and an unyielding commitment to American workers, President Trump has delivered yet another agreement that positions the United States as the world’s preeminent destination for investment, innovation, and advanced manufacturing.

REACHING A HISTORIC TRADE DEAL: President Trump’s agreement with the European Union achieves historic structural reforms and strategic commitments that will benefit American industry, workers, and national security for generations:

• The United States and European Union reached a Cooperation Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade.
• This colossal deal will enable U.S. farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and manufacturers to increase U.S. exports, expand business opportunities, and help reduce the goods trade deficit with the European Union.  The EU will remove significant tariffs, including the elimination of all EU tariffs on U.S. industrial goods exported to the EU, creating enormous opportunities for American-made and American-grown goods to compete and win in Europe. This new market access will drive growth across the American economy—fueling exports, expanding production, and allowing American businesses of all sizes to reach millions of new customers across the Atlantic.
• As part of President Trump’s strategy to establish balanced trade, the European Union will pay the United States a tariff rate of 15%, including on autos and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. However, the sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper will remain unchanged—the EU will continue to pay 50% and the parties will discuss securing supply chains for these products. This new tariff regime will generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually and help to close the longstanding trade imbalance between the United States and Europe by encouraging local sourcing, reshoring production, and ensuring that foreign producers contribute their fair share to the American economy.
• Additional key terms of the U.S.-European Union Agreement will include:
  • Massive EU Investment in the United States: The EU will invest $600 billion in the United States over the course of President Trump’s term. This new investment is in addition to the over $100 billion EU companies already invest in the United States every year.
  • Unleashing American Energy: The EU will double down on America as the Energy Superpower by purchasing $750 billion of U.S. energy exports through 2028. This will strengthen the United States’ energy dominance, reduce European reliance on adversarial sources, and narrow our trade deficit with the EU.
  • Tariff Barriers:  The European Union will work with the United States to eliminate tariffs in various sectors and will provide meaningful quotas for other products, which when combined will create commercially meaningful market access opportunities for a significant amount of U.S. goods exports to the European Union, supporting high-quality American jobs. 
  • Non-Tariff Barriers for U.S. Industrial Exports: The European Union will work to address a range of U.S. concerns related to various EU requirements that are burdensome to U.S. exporters, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, including through efforts to eliminate the red tape that U.S. exporters face when doing business in the European Union.
  • Non-Tariff Barriers for U.S. Agriculture Exports: The United States and the European Union intend to work together to address non-tariff barriers affecting trade in food and agricultural products, including streamlining requirements for sanitary certificates for U.S. pork and dairy products.
  • No Free Riders: The United States and the European Union will establish strong rules of origin to ensure that the benefits of this agreement flow directly to the United States and the European Union, not to third countries. 
  • Barriers for Digital Trade: The United States and the European Union intend to address unjustified digital trade barriers. In that respect, the European Union confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees. Furthermore, the United States and the European Union will maintain zero customs duties on electronic transmissions.
  • Economic Security: The United States and the European Union agree to strengthen economic security alignment to enhance supply chain resilience and innovation. The two sides will take complementary actions to address non-market policies of third parties, as well as cooperating on inbound and outbound investment reviews, export controls, and duty evasion.
  • Commercial Deals: The United States and European Union recognize a series of major commercial agreements across key sectors—including energy and semiconductors—that will further expand U.S. exports to the European market.
  • Military Equipment: The European Union agreed to purchase significant amounts of U.S. military equipment.
• President Trump’s America First economic agenda is restoring our industrial might, securing energy dominance, and making the United States the premier destination for advanced manufacturing and industrial investment.
• In just six short months, President Trump has reaffirmed the United States as the world’s most attractive destination for investment and the unrivaled leader in innovation, research, and advanced manufacturing.
• Other American Presidents have tried and failed to reach a significant trade deal with the European Union. With this latest deal, President Trump has once again proven that bold leadership, economic strength, and unwavering resolve deliver results no other leader could achieve.

LIBERATING AMERICA FROM UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES: Since Day One, President Trump challenged the assumption that American workers and businesses must tolerate unfair trade practices that have disadvantaged them for decades and contributed to our historic trade deficit.

• On April 2, President Trump declared a national emergency in response to the large and persistent U.S. goods trade deficit caused by a lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships, unfair tariff and non-tariff barriers, and U.S. trading partners’ economic policies that suppress domestic wages and consumption.
• President Trump continues to advance the economic and national security interests of the American people by removing tariff and non-tariff barriers and expanding market access for American exporters.
• Today’s announcement opens up historic market access to the second largest economy in the world, reestablishing the strong positive long-term relationship between the United States and its key ally the European Union. 

2. EU-US trade deal explained (UNIÓN EUROPEA)

On 27 July 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald J. Trump agreed a deal on tariffs and trade.

The transatlantic partnership is a key artery of global trade and is the most significant bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world. EU-US trade in goods and services has doubled over the last decade, surpassing €1.6 trillion in 2024, with €867 billion of trade in goods and €817 billion of trade in services. That is over €4.2 billion of goods and services crossing the Atlantic every day. This deep and comprehensive partnership is underpinned by mutual investment. In 2022, EU and US firms invested €5.3 trillion worth in each other’s markets.

This political agreement restores stability and predictability for citizens and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. The deal secures continued access for EU exports to the US market preserving deeply integrated value chains – many of which rely on SMEs – and effectively safeguarding jobs. It also provides the basis for continued collaboration between the EU and US.

In the political agreement of 27 July 2025, Presidents von der Leyen and Trump agreed on the key parameters of the EU-US trade relationship. It is the first step in a process that will be further expanded over time to cover additional areas and continue to improve market access.

The key commitments of both sides include: 

• Establishing a single, all-inclusive US tariff ceiling of 15% for EU goods. As of 1 August, the US will apply this maximum tariff on the vast majority of EU exports. It is an all-inclusivetariff rate and represents a ceiling,including the US most favoured nation (MFN) tariff that was previously stacked on top of additional tariffs the US introduced.
  • The 15% ceiling applies to nearly all EU exports currently subject to reciprocal tariffs (except where the US MFN tariff exceeds 15%, in which case only the MFN tariff applies with no additional tariffs on top).
  • The 15% ceiling applies also to cars and car parts, currently subject to a tariff rate of up to 25% tariff with an additional MFN tariff of 2.5%, providing immediate tariff relief.
  • The 15% ceiling will also apply to any potential future tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, including those based on Section 232. Until the US decides on whether to impose additional tariffs on these products pursuant to Section 232, they will remain subject only to US MFN tariffs.
• Providing special treatment for strategic products. As of 1 August 2025, US tariffs on EU aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, certain drug generics or natural resources will go back to pre-January levels. This will provide immediate tariff relief for key EU industries, while the EU and US agreed to keep working to add more products to this list.
• Joining forces to protect the steel, aluminium and copper sectors from unfair and distortive competition. Global overcapacity threatens EU and US industry alike. Together, the EU and the US will establish tariff rate quotas for EU exports at historic levels, cutting the current 50% tariffs, while jointly ensuring fair global competition.
• Liberalising certain trade that is of mutual interest from the US into the EU. EU importers and consumers will save around €5 billion in duties each year, while core EU industrial and agricultural sensitivities remain protected.
  • Elimination of already low duties on industrial goods. EU MFN tariffs on industrial goods are generally low; the EU will now eliminate these remaining low-level duties on industrial goods from the US.
  • Better access to the EU market for limited quantities of US fishery products. This additional market opening on US products including Alaska pollock, Pacific salmon, and shrimp – all subject to tariff rate quotas (TRQs) – benefits the EU processing industry.
  • Better market access for certain non-sensitive US agriculture exports worth €7.5 billion. Products such as soya bean oil, planting seeds, grains or nuts, as well as processed food stuff such as tomato ketchup, cocoa and biscuits, will have improved access to the EU market – all subject to TRQs -, reducing costs on certain inputs for our farmers and processors while protecting the EU’s agricultural sensitivities.
• Reducing non-tariff barriers, including via cooperation on car/automotive standards and SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) measures, and by facilitating mutual recognition of conformity assessments in additional industrial sectors.
• Strengthening cooperation on economic security. The EU and US will enhance supply chain resilience and address non-market policies and practices. They will also continue to cooperate on investment screening and export controls.
• Ensuring reliable access to critical energy and future-oriented supplies. The EU intends to procure US liquified natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy products with an expected offtake valued at $750 billion (ca. €700 billion) over the next three years. This will contribute to replacing Russian gas and oil on the EU market. The EU also intends to purchase €40 billion worth of AI chips essential to maintaining the EU’s technological edge.
• Promoting and facilitating mutual investments on both sides of the Atlantic.  EU companies have expressed interest in investing at least $600 billion (ca. €550 billion) in various sectors in the US by 2029, further boosting the already significant €2.4 trillion in existing investment.

The political agreement reached between President von der Leyen and President Trump serves the EU’s core economic interests in stable and predictable trade and investment relations between the EU and the US. At the same time, it fully respects the EU’s regulatory sovereignty and protects sensitive areas of EU agriculture, such as beef or poultry.

The political agreement of 27 July 2025 is not legally binding. Beyond taking the immediate actions committed, the EU and the US will further negotiate, in line with their relevant internal procedures, to fully implement the political agreement.