WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s recent threat to impose a 50 percent tariff on the European Union starting July 9 has spurred Brussels into action, with EU officials rushing to schedule meetings with U.S. counterparts ahead of the looming deadline.
While it remains uncertain whether the talks will yield substantial progress in narrowing the U.S. trade deficit or removing long-standing barriers to American exports, some observers believe the EU is negotiating from a position of weakness and may be more willing to make concessions this time.
Trump initially announced that a 50 percent tariff on the EU would take effect on June 1, accusing the 27-member bloc of slow-walking the negotiations. However, after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he agreed to extend the deadline to July 9….
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