It’s published
The European Commission said on Tuesday that German finance minister Lars Klingbail was surprised by comments that he highlighted the EU’s weaknesses in the ongoing tariff talks despite the full explanation being given prior to the agreement reached by the Ursula von der Leyen Commission and US President Donald Trump on July 27.
“It’s the most surprising thing for us,” said Olof Gill, a spokesman for the committee.
Klingvale said Monday that EU representatives “showed weakness” during trade negotiations with the US ahead of their meeting with Washington, D.C., U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant.
“Overall, as Europeans, we have to be strong,” Klingvale insisted.
Germany had “full explanations of the details of the agreement at the political level,” the committee spokesman Ariana Podesta added on Tuesday.
Since the EU-US tariff contract was announced on July 27, the Commission claims that the transaction represents the worst option, allowing the EU to avoid further escalation of the transatlantic trade dispute.
However, details of the contract are still under negotiation, days after the US executive order set a 15% tariff. In particular, Germany continues to see that the automotive industry is heavily affected by 25% US tariffs. This is against a political deal aimed at reducing them to 15%.
We will also continue to negotiate which products qualify for the exemption.
“We fight for all our products and for all industries,” an EU official added:
The EU-US joint statement is expected to be released soon, with the aim of strengthening political commitments made on both sides of the Atlantic.
Under the current framework, the US has agreed to apply a 15% tariff on EU goods, and the EU is committed to purchasing US energy and investing in the US.