Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic remarked that the European Union wants to talk swiftly with the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s prepared tariffs.
EU trade chief Sefcovic, speaking before a conference of EU ministers to discuss trade and EU competitiveness, stated he wanted “early engagement” and was awaiting validation of the designation of Trump’s choice for Commerce Secretary, financier Howard Lutnick.
“We are ready to engage immediately and we hope that through this early engagement, we can avoid the measures which would bring a lot of disturbance to the most important trade and investment relationship on this planet,”
Sefcovic told journalists.
In Warsaw, he further said,
“I would like to underscore the importance of starting our discussions with the new US administration on real facts and figures … Our deficit, if you look at it from a perspective of the overall trade, representing €1.5 trillion, represents only 3% of that sum.”
Global trade is going through uncertain times, but I believe cooperation makes us better off.
— Maroš Šefčovič🇪🇺 (@MarosSefcovic) February 4, 2025
Speaking in Warsaw ahead of our timely discussions on trade and competitiveness, hosted by @POLAND25EU. pic.twitter.com/pDBhJxVZ8w
What does Trump have up his sleeve for the EU with regard to tariffs?
A day earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said the EU would face tariffs soon after announcing tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. “Pretty soon” tariffs on imports from the EU to the United States would come into effect as he expressed discontent with the way the EU does trade.
He said the EU did not import American vehicles or agricultural products. In contrast, the U.S. imported a huge volume of goods from Europe, including millions of cars and vast quantities of food.
Trump has constantly complained about how the United States runs huge trade deficits with several countries, including the EU, which he believes is exploiting America. He called the EU’s trade surplus with America “atrocious” and restated again that tariffs are necessary to correct these imbalances and protect American jobs.
