Helsinki, Strasbourg: The European Union urged the United States on Wednesday to revive trade talks rather than escalate a dispute over tariffs on metals and cars.
President Donald Trump last week signed an order to impose duties on incoming steel and aluminium and threatened to levy a tax on EU cars if the European Union does not remove “horrific” tariffs and trade barriers on a range of goods.
European Council President Donald Tusk responded on Wednesday by urging Trump to “make trade not war”.
“When the president complains of too many tariffs between the EU and the US. I can understand him. We are not happy either,” Tusk, who chairs summits of EU leaders, told a news conference in Helsinki.
“That is the reason why a few years ago we started trade negotiations with the US. We should go back to these talks now.
Make trade not war, Mr President,” he said.
Tusk was referring to planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks which were frozen after Trump’s election victory in 2016.
The European Commission — which has drawn up a list of US products worth 2.8 billion euros ($3.5 billion) on which it could impose tariffs if EU steel and aluminium is hit — also sought to be conciliatory.
“This is not a dispute between Europe and the United States as such,” Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen told the European Parliament.
“That’s why the Commission will concentrate on problem-solving, instead of provoking further problems.” Katainen said US business and both parties in Congress shared the EU’s belief in trade guided by international rules.
