Time is short, and you can feel it. At the meeting of the EU27 trade ministers in Brussels on Monday 27 November, a large part of the agenda was devoted to trade relations between the European Union and the United States. Two agreements are still under negotiation: one on steel and aluminium and the other on critical minerals (see EUROPE 13250/25).
“We discussed the best possible approach to this problem, as the 1 January deadline approaches and the United States could re-impose its tariffs”, explained the Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, at the press conference.
At this stage in the discussions, and according to several sources, the Union’s room for manoeuvre is limited: the blockage is on the side of the United States. “It’s an asymmetrical, inflexible situation that can be improved”, said the European Trade Commissioner.
The vast majority of Member States want to find a solution before the beginning of 2024, when the suspension of the respective tariff barriers on steel and aluminium is due to end.
According to a senior European official, an extension of the measures is now an option that must be taken into account if an agreement is not to be reached that would be accepted by both parties in due course.
The Commission says it is optimistic and “determined” to move the negotiations forward, both on this agreement and on the one on critical minerals, which is a little more advanced.
The European ministers also discussed possible outcomes for future meetings of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC), as well as its strategic aspects. The exact date of the next TTC meeting has yet to be determined. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)