BRUSSELS: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday she held a “good call” with President Donald Trump following his threat of 50-percent tariffs on the bloc, vowing to move “swiftly” to reach a trade deal with Washington.
“The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship,“ the president of the European Commission, which conducts trade policy for the 27-nation bloc, posted on X.
“Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,“ she wrote, adding: “To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
Brussels and the United States have been negotiating in a bid to avert an all-out transatlantic trade war, and had agreed to suspend tariff action on both sides until July.
But Trump dramatically upped the stakes on Friday, complaining that talks with the 27-nation EU were “going nowhere” and threatening a 50-percent tariff on all EU imports to the United States starting June 1.
The US leader said Friday he was “not looking for a deal” with the EU, repeating his oft-stated view that the bloc was created to “take advantage” of the United States.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil separately on Sunday called for “serious negotiations” with Washington, saying he had spoken with his US counterpart Scott Bessent about the matter.
“We don’t need any further provocations, but serious negotiations,“ Klingbeil, who is also Germany’s vice chancellor, told Bild newspaper.
“The US tariffs endanger the US economy just as much as the German and European economy,“ Klingbeil warned.
Trump has hit the bloc with three sets of tariffs: 25 percent on steel and aluminium and on automobiles, followed by a 20-percent “reciprocal” levy on all imports — which has been suspended pending talks, though a baseline 10 percent remains in force.
The EU’s trade chief Maros Sefcovic, who held talks with his US counterparts on Friday, responded to Trump’s latest outburst by saying the bloc was “committed to securing a deal” but that trade ties should be based on “mutual respect, not threats”.
Brussels has announced plans to hit US goods worth nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) with tariffs if negotiations fail to produce to deal.
The US trade deficit in goods with the European Union was $236 billion in 2024.
But when taking account of services, where American firms are dominant, the European Commission calculates that the US trade deficit stood at 50 billion euros (57 billion dollars).
