Also in this newsletter: Europe Today speaks to the EU's Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius as he's set to sign the EU's first defence loan deals under the €150-billion SAFE programme in Poland and Lithuania.
Good morning. It's Maïade La Baume and Angela Skujins, joining forces for the final newsletter of the week.
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While you were sleeping, US president Donald Trump was back to using his favourite tool — threats. After speaking with Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday evening, Trump said the European Union has until 4 July to fully implement its trade deal or face "much higher tariffs."
"I've been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the historic trade deal we agreed in Turnberry, Scotland, the largest trade deal, ever! A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the deal and, as per agreement, cut their tariffs to zero!" the US president wrote on social media.
Referring to the US Independence Day holiday, the Fourth of July, Donald Trump said: “I agreed to give her until our country’s 250th birthday or, unfortunately, their tariffs would immediately rise to much higher levels.”
The good news is that the announcement, made against a backdrop of mounting tensions between the EU and the US, delays his previous warning that tariffs on EU-made cars would rise from 15% to 25% later this week.
As our own Stefan Grobe reported on Europe Today this morning, those higher tariffs represent an existential threat for countries like Germany and its car industry, as they would speed up the relocation of industrial capacity away from Germany and the EU.
At the same time, the European Parliament and EU member states are still working to finalise the legislation needed to remove the tariffs altogether. Although a round of talks on Wednesday evening ended without an agreement, lawmakers said progress had been made ahead of a possible deal on 19 May.
In her own social media message, von der Leyen expressed confidence that the pending legislation would be approved before the deadline.
Read Jorge Liboreiro's story here for more.
In other news, the EU is now boosting defence unity with major loans to frontline states.
European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius and European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin will fly to Poland and Lithuania on Friday to finalise each countries' EU loan defence agreements. Poland has been allocated €43.7 billion as part of the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) scheme, while Lithuania has been earmarked €6 billion.
Kubilius told Europe Today that it is emblematic the approvals start with Warsaw, "because Poland is a country which is taking the biggest responsibility on the biggest amount of those loans."
Poland will use the money to financially support four flagship programs, which span beefing-up anti-drone defences to bolstering its Eastern flank. Lithuania will use the financial injection to support land forces through the purchase of fire power: ammunition and mines. Kubilius also said the timing of the approval is highly symbolic, as it comes just before Victory Day, a date he argued Russia uses to justify and fuel its war in Ukraine.
"Showing really that we're ready to deter and to defend ourselves, and it's again very symbolic that we are doing that just before Europe's Day, because this mechanism of safe loans is really based on basic principles of the European Union, on solidarity principles." Despite the news the money will soon start flowing, and that Europe is taking its defences seriously, there are risks that the continent is still not moving fast enough.
"Russia is outproducing us, and quite heavily, so that is what worries us," he said.
EU steps up coordination on hantavirus but insists risks for citizens are 'low'
The European Commission has stepped up its coordination with member states to respond to the hantavirus outbreak on board MV Hondius, a Dutch luxury cruise sailing to Spain, while insisting the risks to the general population remain "low".
As Jorge Liboreiro writes, "As the evidence stands, according to the current situation, there is no cause for concern at the moment," Eva Hrncirova, the Commission's spokesperson for health, said on Thursday afternoon.
The comments followed a Health Security Committee, which brings together healthcare representatives from all across the bloc, in Brussels on Wednesday.
A day after, the Commission held two separate meetings: first with the Dutch and Spanish authorities and then with all member states that have, or had, nationals on board.
"The risk for the public in Europe, the risk for the Europeans, is low. The health of the citizens in Europe is our absolute priority, and this obviously applies in this case,” Hrncirova said.
The coordination efforts also include the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which has deployed an expert to the ship, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Spain has activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which helps mobilise assistance among member states to deal with emergencies.
"We are assessing the modalities and the needs of Spain, and we are discussing what kind of assistance could be provided," Hrncirova said.
Read more.
More from our newsrooms
Iranians at home divided between hope for regime change and war fears. When the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February, some Iranians — exhausted after decades of life under the ayatollah's clerical and deadly regime – had concluded that military intervention was the only remaining path to change. Euronews Persian compiles their stories.
Greek coastguard accused of migrant boat pushback in Aegean Sea, NGO says. One person has died and 43 were rescued when a migrant boat got into difficulties in the Aegean Sea, Turkish authorities said on Thursday, while an NGO accused the Greek coastguard of endangering the vessel. Gavin Blackburn has more.
We're also keeping an eye on
- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas will give a press conference with the President of Moldova Maia Sandu at 9:30am inChisinau, Moldova.
- European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos meets with Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
That's it for today. Jorge Liboreiro contributed to this newsletter. We'll be back on Monday.