“I am very clear on some topics that touch [on the] sovereignty of the decision-making process in the European Union - this is for us absolutely untouchable. We are very clear about that”, declared the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday 23 June.
At a press conference, she was asked whether the European Commission might agree to exempt US companies from the obligations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) or the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The President of the Commission made it clear that the discussions focused on “non-tariff barriers”, as the United States describes them, i.e. European legislation or standards that affect trade. However, European legislation is non-negotiable, according to Ms von der Leyen.
Matthias Jorgensen, Head of Unit in the European Commission’s Trade Department, delivered the same message to the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) on Tuesday 24 June.
According to Mr Jorgensen, the Commission’s negotiators explained to their American counterparts how the European institutions work and that the Commission is accountable to the co-legislators. “This doesn’t mean we can’t look at how the US government can comply in an easier way [with European legislation - editor’s note]”, he added, opening the door to adjustments linked to European legislation.
MEPs warn of the various possible scenarios. The members of the INTA committee are also very concerned about the short time remaining before the 9 July deadline to reach an agreement and the lack of visible progress.
Several MEPs reminded Mr Jorgensen that the negotiations could not end with a basic customs duty of 10%, as had happened between the United States and the United Kingdom. “I didn’t hear that 10% was a red line, because US will keep pushing. It’s unacceptable”, said Jörgen Warborn (EPP, Swedish).
The European Commission representative did not comment on this possibility. In any case, he warned that it was necessary to anticipate the possibility of Washington maintaining high tariffs on European exports. And he confirmed that the preparation of the WTO dispute is still on the Commission’s agenda, in case the talks do not lead to a satisfactory solution. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)