Brussels suggests solution to Trump

(MENAFN)
The European Union is considering significantly boosting imports from the United States as a way to persuade President Donald Trump to lift newly imposed tariffs, according to European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as reported by the Financial Times.

Trump's recent "Liberation Day" trade measures introduced steep tariffs on imports from over 90 countries, including the EU, as part of an effort to address what he describes as unfair trade imbalances. The US currently maintains a €50 billion ($56 billion) trade deficit with the EU.

Sefcovic suggested that increased EU purchases of American products—such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), soybeans, and other agricultural goods—could help resolve the deficit issue swiftly. However, he made it clear that Brussels will not accept the ongoing 10% baseline tariffs as a permanent solution.

Reaching a mutually acceptable trade deal will be difficult, Sefcovic warned, especially if it fails to meet the expectations of EU member states and the European Parliament.

Earlier this year, Trump imposed a 20% tariff on all EU goods and a 25% tariff on car imports, triggering strong backlash. Although the US later announced a 90-day pause on most of the new tariffs to allow time for negotiations, the 10% and 25% tariffs on certain goods remain in effect. In response, the EU had been preparing retaliatory measures.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a deal to eliminate tariffs on all industrial goods, but Trump rejected it, insisting that it wouldn’t address the core trade imbalance.

In 2024, trade between the US and EU totaled nearly $976 billion. The US imported about $606 billion worth of goods from the EU, while exporting only $370 billion to the bloc.

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