EU risks losing advantage from improved ties with Trump — FT

The European Union is moving too slowly and may forfeit the advantages it could gain from the recent improvement in relations with Donald Trump.

Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, told the Financial Times that the EU continues to impose excessively high duties on American exports, despite the agreement reached in July between the US president and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Caliber.Az reports.

“Trade has always been a flashpoint,” Greer said, adding that the EU maintains extensive regulations and non-tariff barriers that, in his view, obstruct US exports and limit Washington’s effective access to the European market, even though Europe has historically enjoyed far broader access to the United States.

“We did not solve every problem in our relationship with our joint statement from earlier in the year,” he added, noting that the agreement reached in Scotland this summer addressed only part of the outstanding issues.

The remarks from Trump’s top trade negotiator underscore growing frustration within the US administration over the EU’s sluggish implementation of the agreement, particularly regarding planned reductions in duties on American exports to Europe.

“I think that we’re in a moment where the president has changed his views on Europe and approach to Europe in the past six months ... I hope that Europe doesn’t miss its opportunity to capitalise on the president’s current approach,” the one senior administration official said.

Greer will visit Europe from November 19 to 22 to press the issue in talks with EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.

US commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also due in Brussels on November 24 for meetings with Šefčovič and EU trade ministers.

The EU committed to reducing duties on US industrial products, seafood, pork and certain agricultural goods, but none of the cuts have taken effect yet, as they still require approval from the European Parliament.

According to European officials, a vote is unlikely before February, with MEPs expected to consider amendments that would delay tariff reductions on steel and aluminium until Washington lowers its 50 per cent duties on those metals.

The US, for its part, has cut tariffs on European cars and most other goods to 15 per cent under the deal — though the rates remain well above their levels when Trump returned to office in January.

By Jeyhun Aghazada