The European Union has taken a decisive step towards finalizing a trade agreement with the United States, thus avoiding a new flare-up of trade tensions with the American president. Donald Trump.
According to Reuters, EU member states have agreed on several key provisions of the future text, including strengthened suspension mechanisms and a so-called "sunset clause" intended to regulate the duration and application of certain trade measures.
This development comes as Donald Trump threatened to impose "much higher tariffs" on European goods if Brussels did not quickly implement the promised tariff reductions. The US president had set a deadline of July 4, increasing the pressure on the transatlantic negotiations.
The agreement currently being drafted should allow for the first tariff reductions to take effect as early as the end of June. Discussions are focusing in particular on industrial and agricultural products, in a context where both blocs are seeking to secure their economic exchanges in the face of global tensions.
In Brussels, European officials hope to avoid another trade confrontation with Washington, as economic relations between the two powers were already severely shaken during Trump's first term by tariffs on steel, aluminum and several European products.
The European Union is also seeking to protect its exports to the American market, which is essential for many European industries. Several governments fear that escalating tariffs could further weaken a European economy already facing slowing growth and geopolitical tensions.
This agreement could therefore mark an attempt to stabilize trade relations between Brussels and Washington, even though many sensitive points remain under discussion between the two partners.
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