G7 Paris under pressure: Europe pushes back against Trump's car tariffs

The G7 trade ministers met in Paris on 5 and 6 May 2026 in an effort to coordinate their positions, notably on access to critical minerals. The meeting ended without an agreement capable of healing the trade rift between the United States and the European Union, even as the seven partners sought to present a united front.

At the center of the tensions is the threat, renewed by the US administration, to raise tariffs on cars imported from Europe to 25%. Brussels points to an agreement already reached and argues that its terms must be honored, while Washington suggests it can still alter those conditions.

In parallel, official sources indicated that the United States and India were very close to signing a bilateral trade deal. This rapprochement fuels questions about the approach favored by Washington, with some seeing it as a sign of a preference for country-to-country negotiations over multilateral frameworks such as the G7.

Several points remain disputed among the actors. The real scope of the existing transatlantic agreement is debated, as is the extent of the impact of the car tariffs: some consider them deeply consequential for European markets, others present them as temporary and negotiable. The very strategy of how to respond, between firmness and the pursuit of compromise, has not been settled.