The EU has received a break but still tries to find a commercial agreement to satisfy Donald Trump

The European Union has obtained a break after the threat of US President Donald Trump with 50%customs tariffs, but it is unclear how his efforts will be for a mutually advantageous commercial agreement with Washington's requests for substantial concessions, Reuters reports.

After a conversation with the President of the European Commission, the American leader decided not to introduce 50% taxes for EU imports from June 1, establishing a deadline on July 9, so that there was time for discussions between the US and the 27th of Nație.

The European Commission, which supervises the EU trade policy, said that the discussion between Ursula von Der Leyen and Donald Trump gave a new impulse to negotiations, which the two leaders agreed to accelerate.

However, according to Reuters, there were few progress signals, if it exists, in the direction of opening a path to a negotiated solution at the commercial dispute between the US and the EU.

EU, offer of “zero to zero” rates

The EU insists on an advantageous mutual agreement, which may include the passage of both parties to zero rates for industrial goods and the acquisition by the Community block of several liquefied soybeans, weapons and natural gas, as it gradually eliminates all gas imports until the end of 2027.

An EU official said that the community block can buy more hormone-free beef, as the UK did in a commercial agreement with the US earlier this month.

The European Commission said on Monday that he will plead firmly for his offer of “zero to zero” tariffs, including in a telephone conversation planned on Monday between the European Trade Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, and the US Secretary for Trade, Howard Lutnick.

“We believe that this is a very attractive starting point for a good negotiation, which could lead to benefits on both sides of the Atlantic,” said a commission spokesman.

The EU believes that it is possible to cooperate in matters such as steel overcapacity, which both parties put on China, and digital technology, such as artificial intelligence.

The EU wants the US to eliminate 25% for steel and cars, as well as to give up the so-called “mutual” tariff that Trump provisional has set for the Community block, but which is currently maintained at a level of 10% based on a 90-day break expiring in July.

Washington's requirements

On the other hand, the US is determined to reduce the commercial deficit of goods in the relation with the EU, which was almost 200 billion euros in 2024, even if in the field of services it has a considerable surplus.

Washington has sent a list of requirements to Brussels, identifying the so-called non-neatphic barriers he wants to approach, including value added tax, EU food safety standards and national duties.

A source in the industry, familiar with negotiations, said that Donald Trump wanted a rapid agreement, with a mixture of tangible and symbolic victories, but his administration demanded concessions far beyond what the EU was willing or even capable of accepting.

Taxes, for example, are within the competence of each EU Member State, which is why the Commission cannot simply eliminate them by negotiation.

Bernd Lange, the chairman of the Commerce Commission in the European Parliament, which leads a delegation of MEPs to Washington this week, said that in some areas US has seen commercial barriers where there is no.

“These are our standards, our regulation on chemicals and our digital regulation,” he said before the trip. “These are not non -startial barriers. This is not on the negotiation table,” the official added.

Lange explained that the EU can analyze specific regulations to verify if they are excessive, but will not simply adopt all American standards.

The Trump administration also wants to relocate production in the US, especially for products such as steel, cars, mobile phones and semiconductors.