EU Trade Chief Makes Another US Visit in Two Weeks for All-Out Tariff Negotiations

The European Union (EU) is making an all-out effort in tariff negotiations with the United States, including a return visit to the US just two weeks after the previous one.

According to the European Commission, on July 16 (local time), Maros Sefcovic, the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, is scheduled to visit Washington, DC. This visit comes approximately two weeks after his previous trip to the United States on July 3.

Commissioner Sefcovic is expected to meet separately with Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, and Jamieson Greer, US Trade Representative (USTR). During these meetings, he is likely to emphasize the need to reach a "principled agreement" that avoids a 30% tariff and establishes the main principles of a broader trade agreement.

This visit marks a face-to-face negotiation just four days after President Donald Trump announced in a letter his intention to impose a 30% tariff on the EU starting August 1. The EU's negotiating working-level team arrived in the United States the previous day.

Previously, the EU had expressed strong regret, warning that if President Donald Trump’s proposed 30% tariff were implemented, transatlantic trade could effectively come to a halt. While the EU has prepared a second round of retaliatory measures in case negotiations fail, it has decided to focus on negotiations until August 1 and postpone any actual decision on retaliation until after next month.

However, there are concerns that even if Commissioner Sefcovic succeeds in persuading Secretary Lutnick and Representative Greer, the final decision rests with President Trump, highlighting the limitations of the current approach.