Brussels is currently attempting to balance maintaining open negotiation channels with ensuring that threats of retaliation remain credible. This was evident over the weekend when the EU executive, responsible for coordinating trade for the EU’s 27 member states, postponed the implementation of an initial set of countermeasures while advancing a second set of retaliatory tariffs on approximately €72 billion of U.S. exports.
“The feeling on our side was that we are very close to an agreement. We have been negotiating this agreement in principle for weeks,” the trade commissioner emphasized, noting that Brussels and Washington were still in discussions concerning tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars.
“I appreciate, though, that I was given a heads-up just before the letter was coming,” he remarked.
Before the meeting, Spanish Minister of Trade Carlos Cuerpo warned that the EU should avoid being overly confrontational.
“We are in a situation of seeking an agreement with the United States, and I think other major trading partners are in a similar position,” he stated.
“I believe that this is not the time to talk about creating a common front, but rather about how to make progress in these negotiations and enhance contact with our partners to deepen trade relations with them.”
Jakob Weizman contributed to this report.












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