Trump urges EU to drop all barriers ahead of trade meeting

President Donald Trump says the United States and the European Union must drop all trade barriers and subsidies after his administration imposed tariffs on EU imports.

“I have an idea for them. Both the U.S. and the E.U. drop all Tariffs, Barriers and Subsidies!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday, addressing the UE’s trade chiefs who will meet him in a crunch meeting at the White House.

“That would finally be called Free Market and Fair Trade! Hope they do it, we are ready - but they won’t!”

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom are expected to make proposals in that direction to Trump on Wednesday.

They will try to convince Trump to reconsider his proposed tariffs on European car exports to the US, which would deal a serious blow to the 28-nation bloc’s economy.

The trade chiefs plan to signal the bloc’s willingness to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement on manufactured goods, or a plurilateral agreement between all major car exporters to cut or eliminate tariffs on automobiles.

Trump imposed steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from several countries earlier this year, including those in the EU. The bloc retaliated with levies on several American products, including motorcycles and jeans.

SS