EU plans to engage more with other nations hit by US tariffs: Sources
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The move comes as talks between the EU and the US have dragged on and continue to be stuck on several issues.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The European Union is preparing to step up its engagement with other countries affected by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs
The contacts with nations including Canada and Japan could include the potential for coordination, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The move comes as talks between the EU and the US have dragged on and continue to be stuck on several issues, including cars and tariff rates on agriculture.
Member states were briefed on the status of talks on July 13.
Earlier in the day, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will extend the suspension of trade countermeasures against the US until Aug 1 to allow for further talks.
The measures had been adopted in response to tariffs imposed earlier by Mr Trump on steel and aluminium before being paused a first time, and were due to snap back into place at midnight on July 15.
“At the same time, we will continue to prepare further countermeasures so we are fully prepared,” Dr von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on July 13, while reiterating the EU’s preference for a “negotiated solution”.
The current list of countermeasures would hit about €21 billion (S$31.4 billion) of US goods, while the EU has another one ready of about €72 billion, as well as some export controls, that would be presented to member states as early as July 14, said the people.
Dr von der Leyen also said that the EU’s anti-coercion instrument (ACI), the bloc’s most powerful trade tool, would not be used at this point.
“The ACI is created for extraordinary situations,” she said. “We are not there yet.”
In a social media post responding to Mr Trump’s announcement, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the speeding-up of preparations for credible countermeasures, including the ACI, if no agreement is reached by Aug 1.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the evening of July 14 said 30 per cent tariffs would hit exporters in Europe’s largest economy “to the core” if a negotiated solution to the trade conflict cannot be found.
Mr Merz said he was coordinating closely with other leaders to ensure tariffs of such magnitude do not come into force.
“That requires two things: unity in the European Union and good lines of communication with the American President,” the conservative leader told ARD in an interview.
Mr Trump has sent letters to a slew of trading partners, tweaking tariff levels proposed in April and inviting them to further talks.
In a letter published on July 12, the US President warned the EU it would face a 30 per cent rate from August if better terms cannot be negotiated.
The EU had sought to conclude a tentative deal with the US to stave off higher tariffs, but Mr Trump’s letter punctured recent optimism in Brussels over the prospects for an 11th-hour agreement.
Other countries like Mexico, which has also been negotiating with the US, were surprised to receive similar letters.
The EU is seeking a tariff no higher than 10 per cent on agricultural exports.
An offset mechanism that some carmakers had pushed as a way to grant tariff relief to companies in return for investments in the US is not under consideration for now, amid worries from the EU that it could shift production across the Atlantic.
The bloc’s negotiators are focusing talks on car tariffs instead, according to people familiar with the matter.
Negotiations between the US and EU are expected to continue this week, said the people.
The US and the EU have been discussing an initial deal that would see most EU exports hit with a 10 per cent tariff, with limited exemptions for some industries such as aviation and medical devices, Bloomberg previously reported.
The EU has also been arguing for lower rates on spirits and wines, as well as mitigating through quotas the 50 per cent tariffs that Mr Trump has imposed on steel and aluminium.
The US has proposed a 17 per cent tariff on agricultural products. Any initial agreement would also cover non-tariff barriers, economic security cooperation and strategic purchases.
In addition to a universal tariff now due in August, Mr Trump has also introduced 25 per cent tariffs on cars and parts, as well as double that on metals.
He is working to introduce sectoral tariffs in other areas, including pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, and recently announced a 50 per cent duty on copper.
Any deal at this stage would not automatically shield the EU from those sectoral measures, but the bloc continues to seek preferential treatment in the potentially affected industries. BLOOMBERG
