VDA President Hildegard Müller regarding the EU and US framework agreement in the customs dispute

"It is fundamentally good that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump have announced a framework agreement and thus averted a further escalation of the trade dispute. Thanks also go to the German Chancellor for his efforts.

What will now be crucial is how the agreement will be structured in concrete terms and how reliable it is.

But one thing is also clear: the US tariff of 15%, including for automotive products, will cost the German automotive industry billions annually and will burden them in the midst of the transformation.

In view of the far-reaching commitments for additional investments in the USA, the details of which are still open, the EU is now all the more urgently called upon to make the framework conditions in Europe internationally competitive for investors and companies in order to become more attractive and relevant as an investment location again.

It is of great importance that the automotive supply chains, which have been distorted and restricted by the tariff dispute, will work smoothly again. This makes it all the more necessary, among other things, to find a solution for the previously interconnected North America - the USA, Mexico, and Canada - within the framework of the USMCA agreement. This is particularly important for the supplier industry."