Sefcovic, speaking before a meeting of EU ministers to debate trade and EU competitiveness, said he wanted “early engagement” and was awaiting confirmation of the appointment of Trump’s pick for Commerce Secretary, financier Howard Lutnick.
Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said the EU executive’s first priority was to work on the many areas where EU and U.S. interests converge, such as critical supply chains and emerging technologies.
“We will be open and pragmatic in how to achieve that. But we will make it equally clear that we will always protect our own interests – however and whenever that is needed,“ Von der Leyen said.
The EU meeting in Warsaw started just a few hours after additional U.S. tariffs of 10% on Chinese goods took effect, prompting China to hit back. Canada and Mexico were also in line for 25% U.S. tariffs on Tuesday, but each secured a 30-day pause.
Sefcovic said that deficit, including services trade, was around 50 billion euros, or around 3% of overall annual EU-U.S. trade of 1.5 trillion euros, while 4 million jobs on both sides of the Atlantic were reliant on this open trading relationship.
Sefcovic did not go into how the bloc might negotiate, but some ministers offered advice on the EU approach.
“This is not the Marrakech souk,“ he said. “We don’t offer. We listen, we exchange, we say things. We don’t offer.”
Irish trade minister Peter Burke also said it was not worthwhile at this point to make offers.
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