EU Trade Chief and Trump Officials Discuss Tariff Dispute

Trump has repeatedly complained that the EU treats the U.S. “very unfairly,” and he often cites the bloc’s trade surplus with the U.S. as a reason to impose punitive duties. (Maria Feck/Bloomberg News)

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European Union trade chief Maros Sefcovic spoke with three top members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s incoming administration on how to find a solution to the brewing transatlantic trade dispute.

Sefcovic held a call Feb. 12 with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick to become commerce secretary, Jamieson Greer, his pick for U.S. trade representative and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, according to Olof Gill, a spokesman for the European Commission.

The EU is seeking to reach a negotiated solution with the U.S. and to protect the bloc’s interests, Gill said. The call was introductory and the two sides agreed to meet soon.

The EU this week pledged to respond to 25% tariffs Trump said the U.S. will impose on all steel and aluminum imports. The U.S. president also reiterated his threat to levy reciprocal tariffs against countries that have levies on US imports.

Trump has repeatedly complained that the EU treats the U.S. “very unfairly,” and he often cites the bloc’s trade surplus with the U.S. as a reason to impose punitive duties.

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(Bloomberg)

The EU has prepared multiple lists of American goods to hit with retaliatory tariffs if Trump moves forward with levies, modeling various possibilities depending on what the initial U.S. salvo looks like, Bloomberg reported earlier. The bloc could move quickly by re-applying duties it first imposed on the U.S. during Trump’s first term.

EU trade ministers held a video call Feb. 12 to discuss their next steps. Member states insisted on remaining united, Irish Trade Minister Simon Harris said in a statement after the call.

“Ireland is keenly aware of the perils of further escalation,” Harris said. “EU Member States are united and the EU Commission is fully mobilized to protect European economic interests.”

Jorge Valero, Natalia Ojewska and Jennifer Duggan contributed to this report.

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