The EU is “fully invested” in reaching a deal with the United States to avoid sweeping tariffs, the bloc’s trade chief said, after US judges ruled the controversial measures were unconstitutional.
“Our time and effort fully invested, as delivering forward-looking solutions remains a top EU priority. Staying in permanent contact,” EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on X after a call yesterday with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
But Mr Šefčovič did not make any comment on the court drama in the US.
In a ruling on Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade had barred most of the tariffs announced since US President Donald Trump took office, but an appeals court the next day preserved his sweeping import duties on China and other trading partners.
The short-term relief will now allow the appeals process to proceed.
Mr Šefčovič has previously said he had calls with his US trade counterparts last Friday, Saturday and on Monday as the two sides intensify talks after last week’s tensions.
Mr Trump threatened last Friday, but then postponed, to hit EU goods with a huge tariff, voicing frustration that talks with the EU were “going nowhere”.
Read more: Which tariffs did a US court block and what happens now?
Mr Trump unveiled sweeping import duties on nearly all trading partners in April, at a baseline 10% – plus steeper levies on dozens of economies including China and the EU, which have since been paused.
The US court’s ruling also quashes duties that Mr Trump imposed on Canada, Mexico and China separately using emergency powers. But it leaves intact 25% duties on imported autos, steel and aluminium.
US Treasury Secretary says trade talks with China ‘stalled’
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that trade negotiations with China were “a bit stalled” and suggested Mr Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could get involved.
“I would say that they are a bit stalled,” Mr Bessent told broadcaster Fox News yesterday when asked about trade talks with Beijing.
“I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks, and I believe we may, at some point, have a call between the president and party chair Xi,” he said.
The world’s two biggest economies agreed this month to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a surprise de-escalation in their bitter trade war following talks between top officials in Geneva.
Under the 12 May truce, Washington agreed to temporarily reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30% from 145%, while China said it would lower its import duty on American goods to 10% from 125%.
