EU to hold talks with US over Trump’s tariff threat

The European Union’s Trade Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, is set to meet with his US counterpart, Jamieson Greer, to discuss President Donald Trump’s recent tariff hike threat.

The talks will take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of a G7 ministerial meeting in Paris, according to AFP.

Trump announced on Friday that he would raise US tariffs on EU vehicles to 25% starting this week, accusing the EU of failing to comply with a previous trade agreement.

The EU swiftly rejected the claim, reaffirming its commitment to the trade deal. EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that discussions between both sides are ongoing at various levels, with the European Parliament having given conditional approval for the EU-US trade pact.

“Since day one, we are implementing the joint statement, and we’re fully committed to delivering on our shared commitments,” Regnier said. He emphasized that while a final version of the deal still needs to be negotiated with member states, the EU had kept the US fully informed throughout the process.

The EU has said it is keeping all options open but declined to confirm whether the tariffs had already taken effect. Regnier added, “We will not escalate any threats. We focus on the implementation phase.”