No breakthrough on US-EU trade, says Commissioner Šefčovič
In a message posted on social media, Mr Šefčovič said he was returning to Brussels after talks with his US counterparts in Washington DC and that negotiations would continue.
Negotiators have until 9 July to strike a deal or risk an escalating trade war.
Mr Šefčovič and his team had been in Washington DC meeting the US trade secretary Jamieson Greer, as well as treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
In the early hours of this morning, he announced on social media that he was wrapping up what he called a productive week of work and was heading back to Brussels.
While providing no further detail on whether a deal was close, he added that the work continued. Our goal remains unchanged and is "a good and ambitious transatlantic trade deal".
Yesterday at the launch of the Danish Presidency of the EU, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the best that could be hoped for ahead of next Wednesday's deadline was an agreement in principle, given that a normal free trade agreement between such huge trading blocs would take much longer than the deadline provided for.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to hike tariffs on European goods to 50% if there is no deal.
The European Commission is understood to have accepted that there could be a 10% baseline tariff on EU exports and has been pushing for multiple carve outs and exemptions for key sectors such as aviation, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
Mr Trump said he plans to start sending letters informing trading partners of their tariff rates as soon as today.
"My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariff they're going to be paying," he told reporters on last night.
"It's just much easier."
So far, the Trump administration has only unveiled deals with the UK and Vietnam, while Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower staggeringly high levies on each other's products.
Speaking last night on US television, treasury secretary Scott Bessent was non committal, saying the US will "see what we can do", when asked about a trade deal with the European Union.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris is in Berlin to meet with his new German counterpart Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul.
Their discussions will focus on the efforts to secure an EU-US Trade Deal, the current situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, defence and security, as well as European competitiveness and the next EU budget.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
They are free to go – Enzo Maresca says unhappy players can leave Chelsea
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has told any player unhappy at the club they can leave. It is proving a busy summer at Stamford Bridge with recent signings Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr now joined by Jamie Gittens, with Estevao Willian arriving before the new season. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell, who are not with the squad at the Club World Cup, are among those who could move on. Noni Madueke's future at Chelsea has been the subject of speculation (John Walton/PA) There has also been speculation about the futures of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, who have been involved in the United States. Maresca said: 'My message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us. The ones that are not happy, they are free to go.' It is now vital Chelsea sell players to balance the books after they were punished by European governing body UEFA for breaches of financial regulations on Friday. As well as a basic £26.7million fine – which could rise to £77.9million if certain conditions are not met – Chelsea will only be allowed to register newly-signed players for the Champions League if they end the transfer window with a 'positive balance'. Maresca, when asked after his side's 2-1 Club World Cup quarter-final win over Palmeiras in Philadelphia, did not comment on the matter. He said: 'I already struggle to do my job. To be honest, there are things that I don't pay attention to. 'I just pay attention to how to work day by day with the players. How can I improve them? How can I improve the team? And try to win as much as we can.' Maresca was happier to discuss the performance of Pedro, who was brought on for his debut following his £60million move from Brighton as a second-half substitute. His entrance was prompted by a stunning equaliser from Estevao, who shone on what proved his final outing for Palmeiras before his switch to London. Joao Pedro made his Chelsea debut against Palmeiras (Chris Szagola/AP) Pedro played a prominent part in Chelsea's response before they eventually won with a late own goal. Maresca said: 'Even if he was on holiday he looks sharp, he looks good. We gave him some minutes. The reason why he's here is because we like him and we are sure that he's going to help us.' The game was also watched by English winger Gittens, whose £55million move from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed on Saturday. Maresca said: 'Jamie was here, he was on the pitch. He will be with us probably one or two days more. Then he will go for a holiday and come back when we're going to start the new season.'
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately'
ISRAEL WAS CONSIDERING its response after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. The security cabinet was expected to meet after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown to discuss Israel's next steps, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to head to Washington for talks on Monday with US President Donald Trump. Trump has been making a renewed push to end nearly 21 months of war in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said 35 people were killed in Israeli military operations on today. 'No decision has been made yet on that issue,' an Israeli government official told news agency AFP when asked about Hamas's positive response to the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas made its announcement late yesterday after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions. 'The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place' the US-backed truce proposal, the militant group said in a statement. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on 7 April, 2025. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP that the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded guarantees that Israel 'will not resume its aggression' once hostages held in Gaza are freed. Trump, when asked about Hamas's response aboard Air Force One, said: 'That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza.' Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States secured temporary halts in fighting and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Advertisement 'Will not be shut down' Efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for guarantees that any new ceasefire will be lasting. Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. The group said two of its US staff were wounded in an 'attack' on one of its aid centres in southern Gaza on Saturday. 'This morning, two American aid workers were injured in a targeted terrorist attack during food distribution activities at SDS-3 in Khan Yunis,' the organisation said, adding that reports indicated it was carried out by 'two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans'. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Its operations have been marred by near-daily reports of Israeli fire on people waiting to collect rations. UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. GHF's chairman Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical leader allied to Trump, on Wednesday rejected calls for the lead role in Gaza aid distributions to revert to UN agencies. 'We will not be shut down. We have one job to do. It's very simple, every day to provide free food to the people of Gaza,' he told reporters. Civil defence says 35 killed Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Israeli military operations killed 35 people across Gaza today. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
China spares major cognac makers from EU brandy dumping duties
China spared major cognac producers Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau from new duties of up to 35% on EU brandy announced today, provided they sell at a minimum price. China's Commerce Ministry issued its final ruling following an investigation into brandy originating in the European Union, most of it cognac from France, first launched last year. Duties of up to 34.9% for a period of five years starting from July 5, 2025 would be levied on those without minimum price commitments or those that breached promised minimums, the ministry said in a statement. It did not disclose the minimum prices. French cognac makers have complained they are collateral damage in a broader trade row between Brussels and Beijing over import tariffs imposed on China-made electric vehicles (EVs). Last October, China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures of up to 39% on imports of brandy from the EU, including on French brands including Hennessy and Remy Martin, after the European Union accused Beijing of giving its auto industry unfair subsidies, and imposed duties on imports of Chinese-made EVs. Monthly cognac exports to China, the world's most valuable market for the spirit, have fallen by as much as 70% due to the trade dispute, according to data from the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), an industry body. Last week Reuters reported that French cognac makers had reached a tentative deal on minimum import prices for the Chinese market, but that China would only finalise the deal if progress was made regarding EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Pernod Ricard, Remy Cointreau, LVMH and Campari did not immediately respond to requests for comment today. The news will likely be welcomed by brandy distillers that have also seen sales slow in the US, the world's biggest cognac market by volume, as a result of inflation and economic uncertainty.
