EU and US trade chiefs to meet as tariff tensions escalate

Published on 04/05/2026 - 14:17 GMT+2

The EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is scheduled to conscionable his US counterpart Jamieson Greer connected Tuesday amid rising tensions betwixt the bloc and the US pursuing President Donald Trump’s announcement of a imaginable 25% tariff connected EU automobiles.

The discussions, scheduled up of a G7 commercialized ministers’ gathering successful Paris, were planned earlier President Trump’s latest tariff threat, Euronews has learned.

But they present springiness some sides an accidental to easiness tensions aft Trump signalled measures that would breach the EU-US commercialized woody agreed past summertime successful Turnberry, Scotland, betwixt Trump and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which caps US tariffs connected EU goods astatine 15%.

On Monday, the Commission sought to task a consciousness of calm.

“It’s not the archetypal clip we person seen threats,” Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said, adding: “We stay precise calm, focused connected enforcing the associated connection successful the interests of our companies, of our citizens.”

Trump’s menace came aft German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised the US attack to the warfare successful Iran, and aft Washington announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany, further straining transatlantic relations.

German MEP Bernd Lange (S&D), seat of the European Parliament’s commercialized committee, told Euronews connected Monday that Trump’s threats were aimed specifically astatine German car manufacturers.

"All options stay open"

The US president besides accused the EU of moving excessively dilatory to instrumentality the agreement.

“Since time 1 we are implementing the Joint Statement [the EU-US deal] and we are afloat committed to delivering connected our shared commitments,” Regnier said, adding that the EU was seeking predictability successful the EU-US commercialized relation.

The Turnberry woody is presently being negotiated betwixt EU governments and lawmakers earlier it tin participate into unit connected the EU side. Co-legislators indispensable inactive hold connected the modalities for cutting EU tariffs connected US goods to zero, arsenic outlined successful the agreement.

MEPs person nevertheless introduced safeguards to guarantee the EU is not the lone enactment adhering to its commitments and to support the bloc from aboriginal US threats.

The Commission reiterated Monday that if the US takes measures that are “inconsistent” with the commercialized deal, each “options” stay open.

Last year, during the commercialized quality that followed Trump’s instrumentality to power, the EU enforcement prepared a bundle targeting €95 cardinal worthy of US products, though the measures were aboriginal suspended.

At the time, respective EU countries besides urged the usage of the bloc’s anti-coercion instrument, which enables the EU to respond to economical unit from 3rd countries with a wide scope of commercialized defence tools, including restrictions connected licences and intelligence spot rights.