German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that the increase in tariffs on EU cars announced by US President Donald Trump is a blow to all of Europe.
Merz noted that he does not see the new US import tariffs as a measure specifically aimed at Germany. “He wants to hit all of Europe”, the German Chancellor said on ARD television. The Chancellor added that the US President “is rightly a little disappointed” that the EU has not finalized the trade agreement with the US, agreed in August 2025. Resistance to this agreement remains in the European Parliament.
The German Prime Minister explained that Trump is losing patience with the constant drafting of new conditions on the European side. "The Americans have everything ready, but the Europeans are not," the chancellor said. "That's why I want to reach an agreement here as quickly as possible," Merz concluded.
On May 1, Trump announced that the United States would raise import duties on cars and trucks delivered to the American market to 25%, effective from the week beginning today.
The 25% tariffs announced by the United States on new cars from the EU could result in an additional burden of approximately 2.5 billion euros per year for the German car industry, according to calculations by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Bochum.
CAR Director Ferdinand Dudenhöfer believes that Washington's actions are clearly aimed at Germany. "Since foreign car manufacturers' exports to the US are insignificant, Trump's new tariff threats could be interpreted as the start of an economic war against Germany," he said.
The German Industry Association (BDI) also commented on the tariff situation. "The US side is undermining mutual trust with increasingly frequent provocations," the BDI said. The EU-US trade agreement, the association noted, must be respected by both sides. "European law and trade policy are formed through transparent legal processes and attempts to put pressure on them through undeclared punitive measures against key industries are inappropriate," the BDI concluded.