EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will hold a call with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday as the two sides seek a basis for negotiation to head off a transatlantic trade war, a European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO.
The call takes place just days after Brussels responded to the U.S. administration with a newly tweaked list of concessions it is willing to offer, as first reported by POLITICO.
The call will take place in the late afternoon, said Commission trade spokesperson Olof Gill.
“We’ve sent them what we think is an excellent, detailed, mutually beneficial proposal,” Gill added, standing by the EU’s approach in its talks with Washington.
The new document aims at boosting purchases in strategic sectors, such as energy, as well as developing cooperation on 5G and 6G mobile networks. It would also ramp up strategic cooperation in sensitive sectors that have undergone trade investigations resulting in U.S. tariffs, such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors and cars.
The recent exchange of letters sparked hope that talks between Brussels and Washington could finally make substantive progress, after weeks of mounting frustration over a lack of engagement from the Donald Trump administration.
The Financial Times reported on Friday, however, that Greer was expected to reject the EU’s proposals, demanding unilateral concessions instead of mutually reducing tariffs.
On top of a 10 percent tariff, Washington still imposes a 25 percent levy on cars as well as steel and aluminum. If no solution is reached by early July, a higher U.S. tariff of 20 percent would kick back in on most European goods.
The Commission insists it won’t accept a 10 percent baseline tariff. That was baked into a recent trade agreement struck between Washington and London.
Greer and Šefčovič are expected to meet in Paris in early June, after the EU trade chief paid at least three publicly disclosed visits to Washington since Trump took office in January.
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