Newsletter: Another Trump ultimatum, another fragile trade truce for the EU

Good morning. It's Maïade La Baume and Angela Skujins, joining forces for the last newsletter of the week.

​While you were sleeping, US president Donald Trump was backmost to utilizing his favourite instrumentality — threats. After speaking with Commission president Ursula von der Leyen connected Thursday evening, Trump said the European Union has until 4 July to afloat instrumentality its commercialized woody oregon look "much higher tariffs."​

"I've been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their broadside of the historical commercialized woody we agreed successful Turnberry, Scotland, the largest commercialized deal, ever! A committedness was made that the EU would present their broadside of the woody and, arsenic per agreement, chopped their tariffs to zero!" the US president wrote connected societal media.​

Referring to the US Independence Day holiday, the Fourth of July, Donald Trump said: “I agreed to springiness her until our country’s 250th day or, unfortunately, their tariffs would instantly emergence to overmuch higher levels.”

The bully quality is that the announcement, made against a backdrop of mounting tensions betwixt the EU and the US, delays his erstwhile informing that tariffs connected EU-made cars would emergence from 15% to 25% aboriginal this week.

As our ain Stefan Grobe reported connected Europe Today this morning, those higher tariffs correspond an existential menace for countries similar Germany and its car industry, arsenic they would velocity up the relocation of concern capableness distant from Germany and the EU.

At the aforesaid time, the European Parliament and EU subordinate states are inactive moving to finalise the authorities needed to region the tariffs altogether. Although a circular of talks connected Wednesday evening ended without an agreement, lawmakers said advancement had been made up of a imaginable woody connected 19 May.

In her ain societal media message, von der Leyen expressed assurance that the pending authorities would beryllium approved earlier the deadline.

Read Jorge Liboreiro's communicative here for more.

In different news, the EU is present boosting defence unity with large loans to frontline states.

European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius and European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin volition alert to Poland and Lithuania connected Friday to finalise each countries' EU indebtedness defence agreements. Poland has been allocated €43.7 cardinal arsenic portion of the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) scheme, portion Lithuania has been earmarked €6 billion.

Kubilius told Europe Today that it is emblematic the approvals commencement with Warsaw, "because Poland is simply a state which is taking the biggest work connected the biggest magnitude of those loans."

Poland volition usage the wealth to financially enactment 4 flagship programs, which span beefing-up anti-drone defences to bolstering its Eastern flank. Lithuania volition usage the fiscal injection to enactment onshore forces done the acquisition of occurrence power: ammunition and mines. Kubilius besides said the timing of the support is highly symbolic, arsenic it comes conscionable earlier Victory Day, a day helium argued Russia uses to warrant and substance its warfare successful Ukraine.

"Showing truly that we're acceptable to deter and to support ourselves, and it's again precise symbolic that we are doing that conscionable earlier Europe's Day, due to the fact that this mechanics of harmless loans is truly based connected basal principles of the European Union, connected solidarity principles." Despite the quality the wealth volition soon commencement flowing, and that Europe is taking its defences seriously, determination are risks that the continent is inactive not moving accelerated enough.

"Russia is outproducing us, and rather heavily, truthful that is what worries us," helium said.

EU steps up coordination connected hantavirus but insists risks for citizens are 'low'

The European Commission has stepped up its coordination with subordinate states to respond to the hantavirus outbreak connected committee MV Hondius, a Dutch luxury cruise sailing to Spain, portion insisting the risks to the wide colonisation stay "low".

As Jorge Liboreiro writes, "As the grounds stands, according to the existent situation, determination is nary origin for interest astatine the moment," Eva Hrncirova, the Commission's spokesperson for health, said connected Thursday afternoon.

The comments followed a Health Security Committee, which brings unneurotic healthcare representatives from each crossed the bloc, successful Brussels connected Wednesday.

A time after, the Commission held 2 abstracted meetings: archetypal with the Dutch and Spanish authorities and past with each subordinate states that have, oregon had, nationals connected board.

"The hazard for the nationalist successful Europe, the hazard for the Europeans, is low. The wellness of the citizens successful Europe is our implicit priority, and this evidently applies successful this case,” Hrncirova said.

The coordination efforts besides see the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which has deployed an adept to the ship, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Spain has activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which helps mobilise assistance among subordinate states to woody with emergencies.

"We are assessing the modalities and the needs of Spain, and we are discussing what benignant of assistance could beryllium provided," Hrncirova said.

Read more. ​

More from our newsrooms

Iranians astatine location divided betwixt anticipation for authorities alteration and warfare fears. When the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran connected 28 February, immoderate Iranians — exhausted aft decades of beingness nether the ayatollah's clerical and deadly authorities – had concluded that subject involution was the lone remaining way to change. Euronews Persian compiles their stories.

​Greek coastguard accused of migrant vessel pushback successful Aegean Sea, NGO says. One idiosyncratic has died and 43 were rescued erstwhile a migrant vessel got into difficulties successful the Aegean Sea, Turkish authorities said connected Thursday, portion an NGO accused the Greek coastguard of endangering the vessel. Gavin Blackburn has more.

We're besides keeping an oculus on

• EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas volition springiness a property league with the President of Moldova Maia Sandu astatine 9:30am inChisinau, Moldova.
• ​European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos meets with Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob successful Ljubljana, Slovenia.

That's it for today. Jorge Liboreiro contributed to this newsletter. We'll beryllium backmost connected Monday.