The morning mist still clung to the Ayrshire coast when Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen sat down at Turnberry in July last year. What emerged from that meeting was not grand rhetoric about transatlantic unity but a concrete bargain: the United States would apply a 15 percent baseline tariff on most European Union exports, while the EU agreed to scrap its duties on most American industrial products.
The numbers attached to the pact were striking. Brussels pledged to direct 520 billion euros of investment into the United States and to purchase 700 billion euros worth of American energy products by 2028, covering liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear. In return both sides appeared to accept that each would put its own economic interests first.
Implementation amid legal friction
One year on the agreement remains in force. The EU removed its tariffs on American industrial goods on 1 July this year, honouring its side of the bargain. Yet the path has not been smooth. A US Supreme Court ruling in February found that certain 2025 duties had been imposed on an illegal basis. Refunds followed, and new tariffs were introduced on fresh legal footing, only to be scheduled for expiry on 24 July 2026.
Negotiations continue over product exemptions worth around 150 billion euros. The list reads like a catalogue of everyday European exports: Roquefort cheese, olive oil, wine, spirits, beer, pasta, medical devices, electrical equipment, machinery, steel and aluminium. Both sides are still trying to carve out breathing room without unravelling the core deal.
The United States is also preparing additional tariffs linked to forced labour and overcapacity under Section 301. An EU senior official told Euronews that the bloc does not agree with American findings on forced labour but that the main objective is to ensure the agreement is respected so that companies can benefit from stability and predictability.
A different kind of diplomacy
What stands out is the tone. This was not a negotiation filtered through supranational bodies or endless multilateral rounds. It was two leaders, each accountable to their own voters and economies, hammering out terms that reflected domestic priorities. Trump sought to protect American workers and reduce the trade deficit. Von der Leyen needed to secure energy supplies after Russia’s war on Ukraine and to shield key European industries.
