Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič repeated an EU offer of zero-for-zero reciprocal tariffs for industrial goods including cars during a "very focused and productive meeting" with US counterparts in Washington on Monday, spokesperson Olof Gill said today, adding that it was over to the US to make the next move.
In a readout of the meeting Gill wrote that overcapacities in steel and aluminium sectors are also in the scope of the ongoing discussions as well as resilience of supply chains in semiconductors and pharmaceutical, without elaborating.
Šefčovič was accompanied by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen chief of staff, Bjoern Seibert, and the pair met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“The EU is doing its part. Now, it is necessary for the US to define its position,” Gill said.
“We would need an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward,” Gill told reporters on Tuesday, adding: “It’s really over to them."
Discussions are now continuing between experts of both sides, until “the political level will be in a position hopefully to take decisions on the areas to be included in a possible deal or not,” Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Ariana Podesta said.
Washington has imposed 25% duties on imports of aluminium, steel, and cars from the EU. A further 10% tariff now applies to most other European exports heading to the US market.
US President Donald Trump has castigated the EU for its alleged unfair trade terms, and US officials have accused Brussels of restricting market access through a complex web of regulations. The US has drawn up a lengthy list of grievances, particularly in the sanitary, phytosanitary, and digital sectors.
The Commission has repeated several times its red lines in the talks with the US:
“EU standards particularly as they relate to food, health and safety are sacrosanct,” Gill said as he ruled out any negotiation on those regulations, as well as “regulations that relate to technology and digital market.”
