Tariff reciprocity 'must work for both' sides: EU trade chief
BRUSSELS
Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal, speaks at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, DC, on Feb. 19, 2025
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has said that reciprocity in tariffs should be made to work for both the bloc and Washington, after talks with his counterparts in US President Donald Trump's administration.
While the United States is planning "reciprocal tariffs," the European Union is open to working with Trump officials towards lowering duties for industrial goods and stepping up purchases of U.S. products, Sefcovic told reporters.
"We will be ready to look [at] how we can lower the import duties for all industrial products," he said, a day after meeting Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative nominee Jamieson Greer.
Trump has taken aim at the EU and others over trade, announcing plans for sweeping duties tailored to each U.S. trading partner, and taking into consideration non-tariff factors.
But Sefcovic stressed after his four-hour meeting with trade counterparts that if Washington were seeking reciprocity, "it must work for both" sides.
During Sefcovic's three-day Washington visit, he pushed back against Trump's claim of unfairness in U.S.-EU trade ties.
He said that one of his requests was to hold off U.S. tariffs, avoiding tit-for-tat escalation, as both sides discussed their concerns.
He said his impression was that the United States too would be "ready to consider" a reduction in its tariffs, adding that auto duties were a priority.
Although the EU has higher tariffs for personal vehicles, the United States protects other areas like pick-up trucks, said Sefcovic, who is European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.
"While we protect European interests, we seek constructive dialogue to avoid unnecessary pain of measures and countermeasures," he said.
