Senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly stated that the 10 percent universal baseline tariff now in force for most of America’s trading partners is their bottom line.
Among other options, Brussels is also looking at boosting its imports of liquefied gas or teaming up with Washington to curb a glut of Chinese steel on global markets.
After Trump held a call in late May with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the two sides agreed to speed up their negotiations — a relative easing of tensions in an otherwise deteriorating relationship that threatens to undermine transatlantic commerce worth €1.6 trillion a year.
Trump however raised U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 percent to 50 percent this week, in a sign that Washington isn’t willing to back down on its trade war.
As a team of senior Commission officials traveled to Washington this week, EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič met with his U.S. counterpart Jamieson Greer in Paris on Wednesday. Šefčovič told reporters that the talks were going in the right direction, pledging to “maintain the momentum.”
The Slovak commissioner held a call with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday, stressing the two sides were focusing on “deeper cooperation across several strategic sectors.”
The European Commission declined to comment.
