On Monday 30 July, European Commission spokesperson Mina Andreeva stated that the EU and the USA are now following up in good faith on the political agreement reached between European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Donald Trump. The agreement was concluded in Washington on Wednesday 25 July and is on a plan to defuse the bilateral trade conflict.
"We are now following up in the context of the executive working group and we are doing this in good faith. Presidents Juncker and Trump spoke on Friday (27 July) in order to follow up and we are currently putting in place the relevant structures that are needed. The advisers of the two presidents are closely in contact", Andreeva assured.
The plan is based on the negotiation of possible total tariff liberalisation for industrial products (with the exception of cars) and on Europe's promise to import soybeans and LNG (see EUROPE 12071). It is also based on a truce on possible new tariff rises on either side (including that envisaged by Trump for cars) and on a review of US customs duties on steel and aluminium and of EU retaliation measures.
"Neither agriculture nor public procurement were mentioned in the joint statement that was agreed by the two parties. Both parties know very well why this is the case", Andreeva said on Monday, sweeping aside the suspicions raised by the claims of the US side.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin repeated on Sunday 29 July that Trump and Juncker had discussed agricultural issues, and not only soybeans.
On Fox News, Mnuchin said that they had had specific conversations on agriculture and on the need to bring down barriers and give more opportunities to their farmers. He said that more specifically they had spoken about soybeans, but had agreed to examine the other markets. This will be an important part of any agreement they reach, he said.
"Agriculture is outside the deal concluded, otherwise it would have almost failed", Juncker had assured on Friday 27 July, although the previous day Trump had proudly told US farmers: "we have just opened up Europe for you, farmers". (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)