EU Commission President Says Agreement Could Come in Weeks
New European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a German wire service that she and President Donald Trump want an agreement that resolves issues “in a few weeks.” But she didn't say how comprehensive such an agreement would be.
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At an event at the European Union ambassador's Washington residence that evening, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis said von der Leyen could travel to Washington next month. Communications staff said that if she comes, Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan will accompany her.
The EC president was speaking in Davos; in Washington, the German and French ambassadors reacted with pleasure to President Donald Trump's comments in Davos that negotiating with the EU may be harder than negotiating with China. French Ambassador Philippe Etienne said he sees that as a compliment; German Ambassador Emily Haber said such statements are a sign of respect.
Haber and Etienne were speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event Jan. 22.
Haber said the difference between U.S. negotiations in the last few years with some countries and with the EU is that “the European Union and the United States are on a par. We're as strong as the United States is” economically. “That will always be something that will be factored in, in the negotiations.”
She responded to a journalist's question about the reappearance of the threat of auto tariffs (see 2001210054) by saying that if tariffs come, the EU will respond at the same magnitude of retaliatory tariffs.
Earlier, Haber said when U.S. players criticize the EU over trade issues, they should reflect on the benefits of the EU, rather than thinking of the EU as “a bloc which is pitted against American interests.”
She asked U.S. exporters to think of “what the cost would be of trade with 28 different countries, different regulatory systems and so on.”
Haber also addressed the issue of European firms getting hit by secondary sanctions. “If sanctions become the primary instrument and vehicle of diplomacy, I think it is inevitable that they will lose their long-term relevance, because mechanisms will evolve that will circumvent them.”