The European Union (EU) is willing to accept a trade agreement with the US that will include a universal duty 10% for many of the exports of the block, but the US wants to commit to lower rates in key areas such as medicinal products, alcohol, semiconductors and commercial aircraft.
The EU is also pushing the US for quotas and exceptions to substantially reduce the 25% of Washington in cars and car spare parts, as well as the 50% duty on steel and aluminum, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. The European Commission, which is handling commercial issues for the EU, believes that this arrangement is slightly favored by the US, but is still something it could agree on, said people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The EU has a deadline until July 9th to close a trade agreement with Donald Trump before duties on almost all block exports to the US are raised to 50%. The US president has imposed duties on almost all his commercial partners, saying he wants to restore domestic production, he needs to pay for the expansion of tax cuts and stop other countries from exploiting the US.
The EU and the US are increasingly confident that an interim agreement can be reached by July 9, to allow the negotiations to continue after the deadline expires, Bloomberg said earlier. Any agreement will also cover tariff and non -tariff barriers, purchases of basic American goods and describe additional areas of cooperation, according to humans.
EU trading department leader Maros Sefsovic will lead a delegation in Washington this week to try to promote talks, people said. The bloc continues to believe that an agreement in principle remains the best scenario, but officials were not able to clarify how long such temporary arrangements would last as the negotiations continue.
The Commission also wants to ensure that the existing sectoral duties imposed by the US – such as cars and metals – as well as the future duties planned by Washington, will be examined in advance, sources said.
The EU is seeking to deal with non -tariff barriers and has proposed exploring strategic markets in various areas, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and artificial intelligence technologies. The block is also open to work with the US in common challenges of financial security.
The EU estimates that US duties currently cover 380 billion euros ($ 445 billion), or about 70% of its exports to the US.
The Commission informed Member States on Monday (30.6.2025) that the block had received a proposal from the US covering duties, non -tariff commercial barriers and strategic cooperation areas, people said. Specific details about the US offer, such as the potential tariff rates, did not share with the Member States, people added.
Officials raised 4 possible scenarios in view of next week’s deadline: an agreement with an acceptable level of asymmetry– An unchanged US supply that the EU could not accept– Extension of the deadline to allow continuing negotiations– or Trump leaves the conversations and increases dutiesthe sources said.
The last scenario would probably see the EU retaliation with all its choices, they said.
Along with the negotiations, the block continues to prepare countermeasures if the talks come up with an unsatisfactory result.
The EU approved duties on US products worth 21 billion euroswhich can be applied quickly in response to Trump’s duties for metals. They target politically sensitive US states and include products such as soybeans from Louisiana, homeland of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, as well as agricultural products, poultry and motorcycles.
The block He has also prepared an additional list of tariffs on US products worth € 95 billion in response to the so -called Trump mutual duties and duties in the automotive industry. They will target industrial products, including Boeing aircraft, American -made cars and Burbon. The EU is also consulting with the Member States to identify strategic areas in which the US rely on block, as well as potential measures exceeding duties, such as export controls and procurement contract restrictions.
The EU, which seeks a mutually beneficial agreement, will evaluate any end result and at this stage will decide which level of asymmetry is willing to accept, Bloomberg said.