US and EU agree on new trade rules: duty-free industrial goods, energy and defense

The United States and the European Union have announced a framework agreement on mutual trade. It should reduce trade imbalances, strengthen investment cooperation and open new markets for business.

This is stated in a joint statement by the US and the EU.

Key agreements:

• The EU will remove duties on all US industrial goods and open the market for a range of US agricultural products, from nuts and dairy products to pork and soybean oil;

• The US has agreed to limit the level of duties on European goods, in particular in the pharmaceutical, aviation and resources sectors, and to reduce tariffs on cars and auto parts after the EU makes the relevant decisions;

• The EU has committed to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy and at least $40 billion worth of artificial intelligence chips for data centers by 2028;

• European companies will invest another $600 billion in strategic sectors in the United States by 2028, and will increase purchases of American defense equipment to strengthen NATO;

• The parties agreed to remove some non-tariff barriers to trade in automobiles, food, digital goods, and technology.

Particular attention was paid to cooperation in energy security, intellectual property protection, digital trade, and labor rights. The US and the EU also plan to create mechanisms to counter unfair competition from third countries and strengthen the resilience of supply chains.

As a reminder, on July 28, 2025, the United States and the European Union signed a trade agreement that provides for a 15% import duty on most European goods.

At the time, Donald Trump noted that this was the “biggest deal in history,” which envisages up to $600 billion in EU investment in the United States, as well as a significant increase in purchases of American energy and defense products.