“Our message is very clear: We are ready to engage. We want to put on the table [a] package of cooperation. And we are ready to discuss all the concerns of our American partners and take it from there.”
Trump’s tariff threats have sown fear in Brussels and governments across the bloc at a time when the continent’s economy is flagging. His vow to impose higher, punitive, tariffs on China has leaders worrying that cheap exports once destined for the U.S. market will end up flooding the European market.
Willing to offer carrots to Washington, Šefčovič’s comments add to the plan laid out by Ursula von der Leyen, the chief of the EU executive, who issued a veiled warning to Trump on Tuesday. Without name-checking him, she spelled out the many options the EU has, such as boosting cooperation “not only with our long-time like-minded friends, but with any country we share interests with.”
Von der Leyen had already suggested that one way to deter Trump from imposing new tariffs is for Europe to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas. Loading up on American military gear would be another way to buy favor in Washington.
Even though Trump has not followed through on his threat to impose universal tariffs on Day One, he has continued since taking office to trash talk the EU, blaming it for a yawning transatlantic trade deficit.
“They don’t take our cars at all. They don’t take our farm products, essentially. They don’t take very much. We have a $350 billion deficit with the European Union. They treat us badly so they are going to be in for tariffs,” Trump told reporters in the White House.
Šefčovič, a European Commission veteran known for his calm demeanor, didn’t take the bait.
“This relationship is so massive and so important that we just have to treasure it. We just have to look at how we can improve it,” he said, stressing that transatlantic ties account for over 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.
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