Ahead of his visit to US President Donald Trump in Washington on 25 July to try and appease the transatlantic trade tension, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reaffirmed the EU's determination, on Wednesday 18 July, not to be put off by Trump's "provocations", and he reaffirmed the EU's indivisibility on trade.
"My overall approach was shown during the last G7 meeting in Canada because I repeated in front of the US president European arguments. I will repeat it again and again. It is not about fake news, it is about objective facts", Juncker told press.
Following the entry into force on 1 June of US customs duties on imports of aluminium and steel from the EU, the G7 summit in Charlevoix (Canada) on 8-9 June highlighted the trade disagreements between Europeans and Americans a little further, especially on the issue of trade imbalances (see EUROPE 12038).
"I already had the opportunity to speak about this with Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Charlevoix. At the end of the day, US multinationals are the winners on the whole of our trade in goods and services. The result is entirely different – we are in deficit, and not our US friends", Juncker told press at the end of the European summit on 29 June.
In response to the US raising tariffs on steel and aluminium, "the European flinch has taken place. We have already taken counter-measures and we will continue to respond tit for tat to the provocations that might be launched at us", Juncker said on Wednesday.
"I would like to make the president of the United States understand – I have already tried but without great success – that when in comes to trade, the EU forms an indivisible unit and the Commission is in charge of articulating trade policy. All efforts to divide Europeans are in vain", Juncker insisted.
On Tuesday evening, news agency Bloomberg reported that Juncker is next week expected to inform Trump that the EU is ready to consider a trade agreement with the US and other countries that export cars in order to lower customs duties in the automobile sector.
Despite the US unilaterally raising tariffs on its imports of steel and aluminium, and despite Trump threatening to hit US imports of EU cars with 20% duties, the EU remains ready to discuss a restricted agreement on tariff liberalisation for industrial products, including cars and spare parts (see EUROPE 12049).
At the time of EUROPE going to press on Wednesday, the outlines of Juncker's 'mandate' for his discussions with Trump were being discussed between the ambassadors of the EU member states (Coreper) during an initial exchange of views on this dossier. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)