Von der Leyen to meet Trump in Scotland as EU and US close in on trade deal | European Union

The EU seems to be on the verge of signing a commerce take care of Donald Trump after the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, introduced she would meet the US president on Sunday throughout his four-day journey to Scotland.Trump was scheduled to land on Friday night earlier than the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire and was planning to satisfy the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Monday.The European Fee stated von der Leyen’s go to can be at Trump’s invitation. Eire’s taoiseach, Micheál Martin, stated on Friday a deal would “hopefully be signed off earlier than the weekend is over”.Earlier than boarding an Air Power One flight to Glasgow, the US president stated the EU had a “50/50” probability of a deal, however later stated his groups had been working “diligently” to land the “large one” with the bloc, doubtlessly signalling an finish to the specter of a commerce conflict.Trump heaped reward on Starmer and Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, and stated the French president, Emmanuel Macron, was “a group participant” however that France’s deliberate recognition of Palestine as a state wouldn’t “carry any weight”.Trump stated he was wanting ahead to assembly Swinney. Earlier than boarding the presidential airplane, he advised journalists: “The Scottish chief is an efficient man, so I sit up for assembly him.”He stated he had a “lot of affection” for Scotland.Trump hinted he was searching for extra concessions from the EU, saying Japan had had a worse probability than Brussels of getting a deal however succeeded after providing extra to the US.Von der Leyen stated she “had name” with Trump earlier than he landed in Scotland they usually had “agreed to satisfy in Scotland on Sunday to debate transatlantic commerce relations, and the way we are able to hold them robust”.Trump wouldn’t meet von der Leyen until a deal was able to be signed, sources have stated.Trump additionally hinted he was able to widen the deal he had already agreed with the UK, fuelling hypothesis he may lastly remove the 25% tariff he imposed on metal. “This week we need to discuss sure elements [of the trade deal] that are going to be good for each nations; extra high-quality tuning. We’re additionally going to be doing slightly celebrating collectively as a result of, you recognize, we get alongside very properly,” he stated.“We’re going to have time, I feel. The prime minister and I get alongside very properly; the Scottish chief too, we have now loads of issues, my mom was born in Scotland, and he’s man the Scottish chief … so I’m wanting ahead to assembly him.”Requested a couple of commerce take care of the EU, he stated: “I’d say that we have now a 50/50 probability, possibly lower than that … I’d have stated we had a 25% probability with Japan, they usually stored coming again and we made a deal.”The EU is resigned to an settlement in precept on 15% baseline tariffs, together with on automobiles, which is able to make manufacturers from Volvo to Volkswagen extra expensive for US merchants to import than Vary Rovers from Britain, which carved out a deal permitting 100,000 automobiles a yr to be imported to the US at a ten% tariff.On Friday, Volkswagen laid naked the price of Trump’s import tariffs saying it had taken a £1bn hit within the first half of the yr as a direct consequence.Trump struck a take care of Starmer in Could, decreasing tariffs on automobiles from 27.5% to 10% in alternate for will increase in US imports of beef and ethanol. Whereas it’s being seen as a intelligent transfer by Starmer, the ethanol business says it’s preventing for survival towards US ethanol, which is utilized in E10 biofuel in filling stations across the UK.The president of the Nationwide Farmers’ Union, Tom Bradshaw, advised the Guardian his “largest fear” was that Starmer would promote farmers out by permitting in US dairy merchandise. “We perceive the US is pushing very, very arduous for dairy entry, and for us that may be a actual purple line as they use hormones that we stopped utilizing in dairy manufacturing 30 years in the past.”He stated the farming sector couldn’t “give any extra” and warned Starmer to not sacrifice agriculture.Earlier than boarding Air Power One, Trump claimed he would have sealed offers with practically all the 60 nations he threatened with punitive tariffs by subsequent Friday, his self-imposed deadline for agreements.He stated he had not “actually had loads of luck with Canada” however he was not centered on it, and slightly was “working very diligently with Europe, the EU” to get a deal.