(NewsNation) — The European Union is willing to work with the United States to eliminate all tariffs on a variety of imported goods but says the U.S. needs to provide more details about what it wants in a deal to reach that goal.
EU officials want to work toward achieving “zero-for-zero reciprocal tariffs for all industrial goods including cars,” officials said in a statement released on Tuesday after meetings took place Monday.
The EU said that the two parties will have more discussions moving forward. EU Trade Chief Maros Sefcovic met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Monday’s meeting covered several topics, ranging from tariffs to non-tariff barriers. The discussions also included the exploration of the scope for a fair and mutually beneficial deal. Other discussions were held about the global overcapacity of steel and aluminum as well as the supply of semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, officials said.
The commissioner reiterated that the EU and the United States share many challenges and could address them jointly to the benefit of both sides, the EU said in a Tuesday statement summarizing the meeting.
“The EU is doing its part,” the statement said.
President Donald Trump has complained about what he characterizes as the European Union’s unfair trade practices. The 27-nation bloc faces 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars and 20% tariffs on an array of other goods.
The European Commission, which coordinates EU trade policy, imposed $23 billion in extra duties of 25% on a variety of products imported from the United States.
However, the commission said last week that it would put trade retaliation measures on hold for 90 days to match Trump’s 90-day freeze on widespread tariffs as a way of leaving the door open to negotiations.
EU officials said after Monday’s meeting that the United States needs to define its position and that, like with any negotiation, both sides must bring something to the table and that conversations must go both ways.
The Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representatives Office did not respond Monday to inquiries from NewsNation about the meeting.
