EU rushing to finalize trade deal with US: Von der Leyen speaks with Trump
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (Getty Images)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation to discuss trade issues. This was stated by Commission spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaeker, according to Politico.
"I can also confirm the call between President von der Leyen and President Trump, and confirm that they have had a good exchange," he said.
At the same time, the Commission spokesperson declined to disclose further details of the conversation.
The European Commission also confirmed that it is working toward reaching a trade agreement with the United States.
"We're working towards July 9, at the point where we want to have an agreement in principle at a minimum with the US," said the Commission's trade spokesperson Olof Gill.
Gill added that the negotiations are at "the beginning of the endgame," at least regarding the preliminary agreement.
"We're fully geared up to get an agreement in principle by Wednesday. And we're firing on all cylinders to that effect," he added.
Trump's deadline
On July 4, US President Donald Trump stated that his country may impose unilateral tariffs starting July 10 on those nations that have failed to conclude a trade agreement.
This includes the European Union, which has so far not reached a deal with Washington.
Trump has previously imposed unilateral tariffs on a large number of countries, but later suspended them for 90 days to allow for negotiations.
