“We will look at how we can start the process around digital matters,” Sefcovic said. However, he emphasized that the EU laws regulating large digital companies are “not directed against US companies” – they apply equally to all companies. “I think we just have to explain more in this regard,” Sefcovic said afterwards.
The EU Commission has always rejected Washington’s influence on European laws in recent months. The Commission is also responsible for implementing the requirements, but cannot change them on its own: laws at EU level are a matter for negotiation between the 27 member states and the European Parliament.
Several proceedings are underway in Brussels against US companies for alleged violations of digital rules, including Meta, Apple and Google. In recent months, the EU Commission had also imposed a billion-dollar fine on Google for violating competition rules. Google wants to challenge the penalty in court.
Lutnick called for “these cases to be clarified” and the rules to be changed. “Once they have put in place a framework that we are comfortable with and we understand that these old cases have been resolved, we can move on to the steel and aluminum issues,” he said to his European counterparts.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also took part in the talks in Brussels. “We just want to ensure for our companies with international business models that their global revenues are not affected,” he said, explaining the US representatives’ stance.
At the meeting in Brussels, the EU trade ministers pushed for a reduction in US steel tariffs, which remain unchanged at 50 percent. Germany in particular must “come to further relief with regard to steel and aluminum because mechanical and plant engineering is suffering as a result,” said Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU).
Poland and Lithuania also pushed for a reduction in steel tariffs. Both states point to industrial difficulties in the country. The Polish State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Michal Baranowski, called for a reduction in US steel tariffs from 50 to 15 percent. This is “in the spirit” of the agreement that Brussels and Washington have already concluded for most tariffs.
Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reached the agreement in the summer. The USA subsequently introduced a general tariff rate of 15 percent, which is far lower than previously threatened. However, steel and aluminum products are excluded from this.
The tariffs are putting pressure on European industry, which is already suffering from cheap competition from China. The EU accuses China of subsidizing steel production so heavily that there is too much steel on the market worldwide. Brussels therefore also expanded EU tariffs on steel in October.
Despite the disputes, the EU is striving for closer cooperation with the USA with regard to China. Brussels has emphasized several times in recent months that the EU and the USA are not each other’s biggest problem in world trade. “The USA and Europe would lose a lot if we don’t join forces,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen on Monday.
