US tariffs, Sefcovic to the EU Parliament: “Let’s respect the July agreement, , let’s not provide any pretexts”

Brussels – Moving forward with the tariff agreement, concluded in July and providing for a 15 per cent regime, so as not to give rise to further second thoughts or changes of course on the part of the US. After the  US tariff “chaos” of recent days, with the US Supreme Court overturning the tariffs imposed by the American president and Trump himself announcing new tariffs in response, Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic urges the EU to stay the course. “I understand the decision to freeze the vote, but we must move forward with the dossier,” he said during the hearing in the International Trade Committee at the European Parliament. “The vote in plenary in March must remain our goal,” he said. Of course, there remains the “condition that the US provide more guarantees”, but at the same time, “what I would like to avoid is creating a pretext for someone in the United States to say ‘you are not respecting your commitments, so why should we do so?'” 

The European Commission is afraid, and Sefcovic makes this clear for the first time. There is fear that everything could fall apart, with all the uncertainties and consequences that this would entail, first and foremost, a trade war, which everyone wants to avoid. Then there is the dismay that an enormous effort could be wasted. “We have reached an agreement at the end of a complex process,” recalls the chief negotiator, who, in front of MEPs, returns to defend an agreement desired by all: “You criticise this agreement, and I can understand that, but if you look at the figures, trade flows have increased over the last year.” Furthermore, he points out, “businesses have called for this agreement in order to avoid a trade war,” as have governments, which, even now, are calling for caution in the name of protecting exports and domestic production, as done by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani. 

Net of confusion, uncertainties, and doubts, the July agreement is binding for the Trade Commissioner: “An additional 10 per cent on top of 15 per cent is not in the agreement. For us, 15 per cent all-inclusive is an agreement, and we both have to respect it.” He assures that he has explained this to his counterparts across the Atlantic, namely US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and in this regard, he is keen to emphasise that he is “in contact with his counterpart.” The United States “assures me that it intends to respect the agreement with the EU, with Greer also stating this publicly,” he notes. In short, the government’s line remains unchanged: move forward with the signed agreement and dialogue; there is time for other options.