"EU ready to negotiate on car tariffs" - Trade Commissioner paves the way for talks with Trump
The European Union is prepared to discuss with the United States a reduction in 10 percent tariffs on cars, as part of talks aimed at avoiding a transatlantic trade war. "That would be something we are ready to discuss," said EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.
Šefčovic also said the European Union is prepared to consider a much broader deal with Trump, which could include regulatory technology issues and non-trade concerns, such as EU member states increasing their defense spending.
President Donald Trump has often said that the EU’s 10 percent tariff on passenger cars is much higher than the United States’ own 2.5 percent tariff. That’s one reason he is threatening to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on the bloc. The White House chief has also threatened additional tariffs on several sectors such as cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals that could hit the EU separately.
Šefčovic tried to counter Trump's complaints, arguing that the Union is an open market, with average tariffs on industrial goods that are about the same as those in the United States. He also noted that there are "peak" tariffs on both sides of the Atlantic, including the 25 percent tariff the United States imposes on trucks, which he suggested should be part of any tariff negotiations.
The former Slovak diplomat also noted that while Trump focuses on the US goods trade deficit with the EU, which reached $235.6 billion in 2024, the United States has a trade surplus in services with the bloc. When goods and services are combined, the US trade deficit with the EU is only about $50 billion, which is equivalent to about 3 percent of the $1.7 trillion in annual transatlantic trade.
At the same time, Šefčovic vowed to retaliate if Trump carries out his threats to impose sweeping tariffs. “To protect European interests, we will have no choice but to respond decisively and strictly, but we hope to avoid that scenario,” Šefcovič said.
He also said that Brussels was willing to talk about technology issues with the US, but indicated that the European Union would defend its regulations, including measures such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
"Big tech companies from the US have more customers in Europe than in the US and if you look at the revenue, 30 percent to 50 percent of the revenue is generated in the European Union," Šefčovič said.
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