US officials are ‘optimistic’ that an agreement could be imminent.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that negotiations between the European Union and the United States over a long-running trade dispute are making progress.
Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday ahead of a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, Merz said, “We have been hearing in the last few minutes that there could possibly be decisions,” referring to ongoing talks aimed at avoiding steep tariffs on European goods.
The United States has threatened to impose a 30 percent tariff on EU exports if no agreement is reached by August 1.
But hopes for a breakthrough rose this week after reports that both sides are close to a deal that would set a 15 percent tariff rate on EU goods – a compromise similar to a recent agreement between the US and Japan.
Macron said that European leaders and the European Commission had been in “constant contact” to coordinate their response to the US pressure.
He added: “We want the lowest possible tariffs, but also to be respected as the partners that we are.”
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent echoed the optimism, telling Bloomberg Television that the talks were “going better than they had been”, and that progress was being made.
Further discussions between EU Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also took place on Wednesday, while officials …
