BRUSSELS — The European Union is coming to terms with the fact that its renewed proposal to remove tariffs on industrial goods is going nowhere with the U.S. administration, three officials and diplomats told POLITICO.
Seeking to avoid a trade war with President Donald Trump, the European Commission renewed an offer in early April to remove (already low) tariffs on industrial goods such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, rubber, plastic and machinery.
Now, with a threat of a 50 percent U.S. tariff on all EU goods looming from July 9, Brussels is scrambling to make an offer that’s amenable to the White House.