The European Union will set up an import surveillance task force to monitor potential diversion of goods as a result of US tariffs as it tries to pursue negotiations with the Trump administration.“This is a major turning point for the United States,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters Monday in Brussels. “Nonetheless, we stand ready to negotiate with the US.”
Von der Leyen noted that the EU has previously offered to zero out tariffs on industrial products, including autos, if the US does the same, but that Washington hasn’t engaged.
“Because Europe is always ready for a good deal. So we keep it on the table,” she added. “But we are also prepared to respond through countermeasures and defend our interests.”White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Monday in an interview on CNBC that the EU’s offer to cut tariffs is “a good small start,” but a bigger problem is non-tariff “cheating,” citing the bloc’s value-added tax as one complaint.
Von der Leyen noted that the EU has previously offered to zero out tariffs on industrial products, including autos, if the US does the same, but that Washington hasn’t engaged.
“Because Europe is always ready for a good deal. So we keep it on the table,” she added. “But we are also prepared to respond through countermeasures and defend our interests.”White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Monday in an interview on CNBC that the EU’s offer to cut tariffs is “a good small start,” but a bigger problem is non-tariff “cheating,” citing the bloc’s value-added tax as one complaint.
Von der Leyen has yet to meet with President Donald Trump since he took office. The EU’s trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, visited Washington to meet with senior Trump administration trade officials, but has been unable to make progress on any kind of deal.
“It is clear that negotiations have to go deep into technical details” before rising to Trump’s level, she said. “This has to be solved first.”
In the meantime, von der Leyen said the new Import Surveillance Task Force will look at historic trade data and monitor potential surges in imports of particular products or sectors that need to be addressed.
