The EU executive is preparing a “checklist” of measures to address US concerns about business regulation in the bloc. Five European diplomats and officials confirmed the new strategy to POLITICOwho remain anonymous due to the delicate nature of the case
This step follows Trump's Commerce Department sending its position to the European Commission. The US president is demanding that Brussels lift the measures, which EU officials see as core elements of the EU's regulatory sovereignty.
The EC did not want to give in for a long time. He is not doing it now either, because he intends to use the criticism regarding the trade agreement between the EU and the US to his advantage, and in Washington he wants to sell it as full agreement with President Trump's assumptions. European officials are working to relax the regulatory framework to bring it in line with the bloc's own deregulation agenda. It covers currently nine simplification packages — known in Brussels jargon as “omnibus” measures.
“We don't follow orders,” says one of the officials anonymously. “We will sell our collective funds to them as concessions,” he adds.
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic and his US counterpart Jamieson Greer spoke on Sunday, a European Commission spokesman said this week.
Narrative reversal
For Brussels, the move represents a chance to reverse the narrative: instead of bowing to Trump's pressure, the EU executive intends to formulate its own deregulatory initiative to show it is willing to cooperate on the trade deal – which was put in writing in August this year. and contained only a brief mention of some non-tariff barriers and business supervision rules in the EU.
According to diplomats, the Commission's internal work will focus on areas explicitly mentioned in the statement agreed after the agreement was signed by Trump and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland – including EU carbon tax, deforestation ban, supply chain transparency rules and environmental reporting obligations.
This would exclude EU digitalization laws such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which the Trump administration views as censorship or discrimination against US businesses.
Commission deputy spokesman Olof Gill said the EU was focused on “faithfully implementing” the joint statement, describing it as the basis for strategic cooperation.
— The EU is currently examining the best way to implement all the commitments made, and Commissioner Sefcović is working closely with American partners, Gill tells POLITICO. “We are focused on implementation and concrete results, ensuring that all next steps are based on the Joint Statement and reflect a fair and reciprocal trade partnership between the EU and the US,” he says.
The checklist was first published by Bloomberg.
EU-US trade agreement
US President Donald Trump announced the conclusion of a trade agreement with the European Union at the end of July. The leader described the agreement as “the largest agreement in history.” As part of the trade agreement, a customs duty of 15 percent was established. As part of the agreement, the EU will also purchase American military equipment.
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