Brussels – The European Union (EU) and the United States are committed to utilizing every day until July 9 to reach a satisfactory mutual agreement on trade and customs policy. This was stated by European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič in an interview with the TASR news agency.
Šefčovič noted that negotiations regarding trade policies and tariffs with the U.S. are ongoing “essentially every day” and are quite complex.
“We are seeking solutions that would give the United States adequate options to tackle their most urgent issue—the trade deficit in goods. We are examining individual tariff items, and from the EU’s perspective, we aim for this agreement to be as balanced as possible. This is a time-consuming and meticulous task,” he explained.
He highlighted the goal of making more substantial progress on “horizontal issues,” which include addressing challenges related to car exports and imports, as well as tariffs on steel and aluminum.
“We have repeatedly clarified with the American side that we are not the issue for each other; the challenge lies in the excess capacity primarily coming from Asian countries,” Šefčovič emphasized.
He also mentioned that both parties are evaluating how to manage the trade of high-quality chips. Additionally, he indicated that the pharmaceutical industry is a significant area for the EU, boasting a positive trade balance with the U.S.
“These are critical subjects for European industry, exporters, and entrepreneurs. While I would have preferred to see more decisive progress by now, we must proceed gradually, and we will certainly utilize every day until our set milestone of July 9,” Šefčovič assessed. (June 13)
“We are looking for solutions that would provide the United States with sufficient options to address their most pressing issue of the trade deficit in goods. We are looking at individual tariff items, and from the EU side, we want this agreement to be as balanced as possible. It takes a lot of time; it is truly a painstaking job.” Maroš Šefčovič
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