EU-US, in talks on tariff avoidance - EU Trade Commissioner meets with Trump representatives
The European Union's trade commissioner met with Trump administration officials to discuss avoiding a tariff war. The EU is stressing the need for a fair and balanced deal instead of tariffs, which would trigger retaliatory measures.
European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic met with US President Donald Trump's top trade officials in an effort to avert high US tariffs on goods next week.
Sefcovic said he held "substantive conversations" with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and senior US trade and economic representatives.
Two previous discussions with Trump officials did not change Trump's plans to increase U.S. import duties, matching tariffs imposed by major trading partners.
"The hard work continues. The EU's priority is a fair and balanced agreement instead of unjustified tariffs. We share the goal of industrial strength on both sides," Sefcovic said in a post on the X network.
The meetings come as several countries are preparing tariff concessions ahead of Trump's announcement of a reciprocal tariff plan on April 2, a date he has called "Liberation Day" for the American economy from unfair trade practices.
Reuters reported the other day that India is ready to cut tariffs on more than half of US imports, worth $23 billion, in the first phase. According to the World Trade Organization, India has among the highest trade-weighted average tariff rates at 12.1%, compared to 2.5% for the US.
Trump has announced that he may give "many countries" exemptions from the tariffs, but has not given details. He also said that special duties on cars, pharmaceuticals and aluminum will come in the "near future."
EU officials are trying to persuade Trump to abandon a trade war as he launches a multi-front tariff offensive that is expected to draw strong retaliation. Sefcovic said last week that little progress has been made in talks with Washington after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this month.
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