Brussels is delaying promised tariff cuts and regulatory changes, Washington’s top trade negotiator told the newspaper
The US is growing frustrated with the EU over the slow pace of tariff and regulatory reductions being introduced as part of a trade agreement, according to a senior negotiator in Washington cited by the Financial Times.
The trade deal signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with US President Donald Trump in July imposes a 15% tariff on EU exports of cars and most other goods, and commits the bloc to buying $750 billion of US oil and gas and investing $600 billion in the US economy over three years.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told the newspaper that EU tariffs on US exports remain too high despite the agreement. He added that regulations and non-tariff barriers imposed by Brussels continue to block US exports and limit market access, while Washington has “historically had very broad access for them [EU goods].”
“We did not solve every problem in our relationship with our joint statement from earlier in the year,” Greer said, adding that trade, which he described as “quite unbalanced,” has always been “a flashpoint.”
The comments come as Greer prepares to travel to the EU later this week to meet with Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, while US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will engage with Sefcovic and EU trade ministers in Brussels on November 24. The US has sent a letter of complaint to Brussels and is preparing a five-point plan in response.
The EU pledged to cut import tariffs on US industrial goods, seafood, pork, and some agricultural products, but implementation is still on hold awaiting European Parliament approval, which is unlikely before February, according to EU officials cited by the FT.
An unnamed Trump administration official told the newspaper that the EU is stalling “on all of this,” warning that Brussels risks squandering a period of improved relations with Trump.
The trade deal came after months of intense negotiations and threats of massive tariffs by Trump. Von der Leyen has faced criticism from current and former European officials over the perceived imbalance of the agreement.
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