The European Commission is negotiating "intensely" with the United States to reach a trade agreement. The deadline is set for July 9, just two weeks away, and the conversation today between the Commissioner for Trade, Maros Sefcovic, and the US Administration already includes the latest offer made by Donald Trump.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced last night that Brussels has received "the latest US document to continue negotiations." "We are evaluating it at this very moment," she stated at the press conference following the European Council.
"The message today is clear: we are ready for an agreement. But at the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that a satisfactory outcome may not be reached. That is why we have consulted on a rebalancing list. We will defend European interests if necessary. In summary: all options are still on the table," explained the German senior official.
These words are significant because they make it clear that an agreement may not be reached, but also because they are a way to respond to the German Chancellor. Friedrich Merz also pressured Brussels yesterday, pointing out the limited time remaining until the deadline imposed by Trump and advocating for reaching a pact now.
"We have less than two weeks, a very detailed agreement cannot be presented or agreed upon. No one knows the wording of the United Kingdom or the United States yet. We should reach a solution quickly. I prefer a quick and simple agreement to a slow and very complicated one," he stated from the EU capital.
Merz was not the only one exerting pressure on Von der Leyen. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, also addressed this issue but from a less demanding position. "France advocates for a quick conclusion to the agreement. Until the agreement is concluded, exorbitant tariffs will be applied to certain sectors, which is not good for us," he pointed out.
However, he also mentioned that the EU should not accept an unbalanced agreement. "Pragmatic," he said, while continuing to support the zero-for-zero offer that the Commission has always proposed. Macron's stance, ultimately, aims to achieve a very complex balancing act.
Furthermore, Von der Leyen also revealed that she is working on the possibility of reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) together with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. "Asian countries want to have structured cooperation with the European Union, and the European Union wants the same. So I said we can think of this as a starting point for redesigning the WTO, of course, understanding what needs to be reformed to move towards a positive direction in the WTO," stated the Commission President, who did not mention the United States at any point.
In fact, the Organization is currently almost paralyzed since, since 2019, the US has refused to renew the judges who are part of the appellate body. That is, the first Trump Administration blocked it, the Biden Administration did not resolve it, and it is very unlikely that the current US President will do anything to change this situation.
"I think this is a project we should commit to because the CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] and the European Union are powerful. So, first and foremost, it is the European Union that has to manage this with the CPTPP," added Von der Leyen.