The European Union is ready to use its most powerful economic weapon, the bloc’s trade chief has warned, amid soaring tensions ahead of his first meeting with US President Donald Trump’s new commerce team.
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Visiting Washington to try to avert a transatlantic trade war, Maros Sefcovic said he hoped to offer Trump a deal that would stave off the imposition of already-threatened tariffs.
“I know that President Trump is a big deal maker and there was an idea to have [a] kind of impressive grand bargain package. So let’s discuss all these things,” said Sefcovic on Wednesday, calling himself “a true believer” in the transatlantic relationship.
Should a deal not materialise, the EU’s commissioner for trade and economic security made clear that the bloc had plenty of punitive tools in its armoury.
“Our openness does not mean we will not protect our interests and our European market when necessary,” Sefcovic said.
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