EU trade chief says trade talks with US advancing in 'right direction'
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said talks with the U.S. are progressing well despite rising tensions over President Trump’s tariff hikes, following a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at the OECD summit in Paris.
- European Union
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 02:10 | 04 June 2025
As trade tensions spiral due to President Donald Trump's tariff policy, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Wednesday that they are advancing the talks with the US in the right direction, staying in close contact to maintain the momentum.
Sefcovic met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at the margins of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris.
"Had a productive and constructive discussion with US Trade Representative Ambassador Greer on the margins of the OECD Trade Ministerial," Sefcovic wrote on X.
"We're advancing in the right direction at pace - and staying in close contact to maintain the momentum," he added.
The meeting came after Trump again escalated trade tensions as he doubled the tariff rate imposed on the steel products coming to the US to 50%.
Earlier, he threatened to impose a direct 50% tariff on the EU beginning on June 1, saying talks were "going nowhere" on May 23.
After speaking with the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the US president subsequently moved the date to July 9.
Last week, he praised the EU's decision to accelerate trade negotiations, saying it is a "positive event."
"I have just been informed that the EU has called to quickly establish meeting dates," Trump wrote on social media, expressing satisfaction.