EU ready to talk to US about tariffs but prepared to defend interests

8th April 2025

The EU has said it offered the US a "zero-for-zero" tariff deal on cars and industrial goods weeks before Donald Trump launched his trade war, but that it would "not wait endlessly" to defend itself.

Maros Šefčovič, the EU commissioner for trade, said he had proposed zero tariffs on cars and a range of industrial goods, such as pharmaceutical products, rubber and machinery, during his first meeting with the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, on 19 February.

He said the EU remained open for talks, while suggesting nothing would be concluded soon: "Right now we are in the early stages of discussions, because the US view tariffs not as a tactical step, but as a corrective measure."

Read the full article at the Guardian