US told EU it ‘stands’ by tariff deal: trade chief

AFP | Brussels

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The EU’s trade chief said yesterday his US counterparts had told him Washington stands by a key trade deal with the bloc, following an adverse Supreme Court decision on President Donald Trump’s tariffs. After the Supreme Court ruled last week that Trump lacks authority to impose levies under a 1977 law, the US leader responded with fresh tariffs of 10 percent on imported goods -- which Trump has vowed to hike further to 15%. That raised complex questions about what the new duties mean for the EU deal clinched last year with Trump, which set tariffs at 15 percent for most EU goods. “I have been in constant touch with my counterparts, and they both reassured me they stand by the deal with the European Union,” Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told EU lawmakers. The top trade negotiator also touched on another sensitive topic in transatlantic ties: Trump’s 50 percent duties on steel and aluminium imports, which the EU has been pushing to bring down.