EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic gives a news conference on 2020 Strategic Foresight report called “Charting the course towards a more resilient Europe” in Brussels, Belgium September 9, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS
BRUSSELS:
The European Commission called Sunday for Washington to abide by the terms of the trade deal struck last year with the EU, as President Donald Trump announced new global tariff hikes a day after an adverse Supreme Court ruling.
“A deal is a deal,” said a commission statement.
“As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the US to honour its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments,” it added.
“The European Commission requests full clarity on the steps the United States intends to take following the recent Supreme Court ruling on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).”
Trump temporarily raised the global duty on imports into the United States to 15 percent on Saturday.
The move delivered a fresh jolt of uncertainty just a day after the Supreme Court ruled much of his international tariffs campaign illegal.
The EU and United States last year struck an agreement setting US tariffs at a maximum 15 percent on most European goods.
“EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed,” the commission said.
It warned that “when applied unpredictably, tariffs are inherently disruptive, undermining confidence and stability across global markets and creating further uncertainty across international supply chains”.
Seeking clarification
The EU executive said it remained “in close and continuous contact” with Trump’s administration and that EU Trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic had spoken with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Saturday.
Greer told US broadcaster CBS on Sunday that Washington’s deals with the European Union, China and other partners remained in force despite the Supreme Court ruling.
“So we’re having active conversations with them. We want them to understand that these deals are going to be good deals,” he told the “Face the Nation” programme.
He added: “We expect to stand by them. We expect our partners to stand by them.”
