Netherlands presses for certainty over US-EU trade deal

Moscow (ANTARA) – The trade agreement between the United States (US) and the European Union is very important for the Netherlands, with the current uncertainty making it harder for local businesses to trade with the United States, said Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. Officials from the European Union and the United States will hold talks on Tuesday on the framework for the deal. ‘No one in the Netherlands wants tariffs and trade barriers. Especially not our companies,’ Sjoerdsma, as quoted by Nieuws.nl, said. Sjoerdsma said that business in the Netherlands is very dissatisfied with the uncertainty surrounding the trade agreement. ‘This situation makes it very difficult to do business with the United States and also makes their business models more difficult. Therefore, for us, compliance with the agreement is crucial,’ the minister said. On 27 July 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump reached a trade agreement, in which a 15 percent tariff would apply to almost all EU exports to the US. In May, Trump stated that he had spoken with von der Leyen and agreed to give Brussels until 4 July to meet its side of the deal.