The world this weekPhotograph: Getty ImagesJul 31st 2025|4 min readThe European Union reached a preliminary trade deal with America, which gave Donald Trump most of what he wanted. EU exports to America will be subject to a 15% tariff. Mr Trump had threatened 30%. The 15% duty applies to cars made in the EU, a lower rate than Mr Trump’s sectoral levy. Meanwhile, the bloc will eliminate tariffs on American-made vehicles and a range of other goods, including aircraft and chipmaking equipment. The EU also committed to buying more American energy and investing more in the United States. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, insisted the deal was “the best we could get”.Explore more→Politics→Business→The weekly cartoonFrom the August 2nd 2025 editionDiscover stories from this section and more in the list of contents⇒Explore the editionReuse this content