Posted on 05/26/2025 12:01:07 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Summary
BRUSSELS, May 26 (Reuters) - The European Union may have won a reprieve from U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 50% tariffs, but it remains unclear how the bloc will square its push for a mutually beneficial trade deal with Washington's demands for steep concessions.
Trump backed away from imposing the levies on EU imports from June 1 after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, restoring a July 9 deadline to allow talks between the U.S. and the 27-nation union to produce a deal.
The European Commission, which oversees trade policy for the EU, said the call had added new impetus to the negotiations, which the two presidents had agreed to fast track.
There was little indication, however, of what, if any, progress Trump and von der Leyen had made towards clearing a path to a negotiated solution to the trade dispute.
The EU is pushing for a mutually beneficial deal that could include both sides moving to zero tariffs on industrial goods, and the EU buying more soybeans, arms and liquefied natural gas as it phases out all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
One EU official said the EU could even buy more hormone-free beef, as Britain did in a trade deal it struck with the U.S. earlier this month.
The European Commission said on Monday it would make a forceful case for its "zero-for-zero" tariff offer, including in a call planned on Monday between European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
"We believe that's a very...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
“It’s about our standards, our chemicals regulation and our digital regulation,” he said before his trip. “These are not non-tariff barriers. This is not on the table of negotiations.”
The EU regards fining American tech companies for billions of $ as cash cows always available for the occasional slaughter.
While I’m somewhat disappointed that PDJT pushed the deadline out to July, I will trust his judgement.
EU still in fix to find trade deal to satisfy TrumpDon't blame your ignorance on Trump. Many have tried, all have failed.
Life is difficult when you don't know how to follow simple instructions.
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