According to reports, the EU is pushing for a British-style trade agreement with the US. The agreement will retain some tariffs after next month's deadline and further delay retaliation measures against the US. Michael Claus, an adviser to German Chancellor Mertz, said at an event in Berlin on Thursday that he does not expect the EU and the US to reach a comprehensive agreement before July 9, but “a statement, a bit like the US-UK model.” Referring to the European Commission, Claus said, “First, they wanted to see if there was room for consensus on the so-called 10% reciprocal tariff... and then move on to other tariffs, that is, tariffs specific to specific industries.” Diplomats and officials familiar with the matter said that early negotiations in Brussels on imposing retaliatory tariffs if Trump did not lift all measures against EU countries had weakened because EU governments feared the economic consequences and the risk of differences within Europe over countermeasures. In this situation, some countries, led by France, want to “go back to the teeth,” but others, including Italy and Hungary, want to continue negotiations.

According to reports, the EU is pushing for a British-style trade agreement with the US. The agreement will retain some tariffs after next month's deadline and further delay retaliation measures against the US. Michael Claus, an adviser to German Chancellor Mertz, said at an event in Berlin on Thursday that he does not expect the EU and the US to reach a comprehensive agreement before July 9, but “a statement, a bit like the US-UK model.” Referring to the European Commission, Claus said, “First, they wanted to see if there was room for consensus on the so-called 10% reciprocal tariff... and then move on to other tariffs, that is, tariffs specific to specific industries.” Diplomats and officials familiar with the matter said that early negotiations in Brussels on imposing retaliatory tariffs if Trump did not lift all measures against EU countries had weakened because EU governments feared the economic consequences and the risk of differences within Europe over countermeasures. In this situation, some countries, led by France, want to “go back to the teeth,” but others, including Italy and Hungary, want to continue negotiations.