EU Trade Chief heads to Washington hoping to unlock steel talks

Published on 22/04/2026 - 8:00 GMT+2

EU Trade Chief Maroš Šefčovič is visiting the US connected Thursday and Friday successful a bid to unlock negotiations implicit EU alloy and aluminium exports inactive deed by the 50% US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump soon aft his instrumentality to powerfulness past year.

Scrapping those tariffs was portion of the EU-US commercialized woody struck in July 2025, which included commitments to sermon quota arrangements for alloy and aluminium to regenerate the 50% duties.

However implementation of the broader accord — including cuts to EU tariffs connected US concern goods — has been delayed by MEPs, efficaciously stalling talks connected metals.

Taking stock

European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill said connected Tuesday that the travel volition beryllium an “opportunity to instrumentality banal of the wide expanse of EU/US commercialized woody and concern relations".

He added that the absorption volition beryllium connected wherever some sides “stand” connected the implementation of their “respective commitments” nether the deal.

Resolving issues implicit the commercialized of alloy and aluminium volition beryllium apical of the agenda, Euronews has learned.

The statement was clinched successful summertime 2025 successful Turnberry, Scotland, by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump aft weeks of commercialized tensions, during which Šefčovič made repeated trips to Washington to defuse the quality and avert steeper tariffs.

The Commission yet accepted 15% duties connected European exports to the US successful a woody wide seen arsenic unbalanced successful Europe. The statement is present nether treatment among EU countries and MEPs earlier afloat implementation.

Šefčovič’s sojourn volition beryllium his archetypal since the Turnberry accord. The woody has since been frozen respective times by EU lawmakers pursuing caller tariff threats by Trump implicit Greenland.

A ruling by the US Supreme Court besides reshuffled the deck, uncovering that astir US tariffs imposed successful 2025 were illegal. In the days following, the White House shifted ineligible grounds to support tariffs arsenic portion of its nationalist 'America First' commercialized agenda. However, those measures are acceptable to expire successful July, aft which they volition necessitate support from US Congress.

Pressure points

In the coming days, Šefčovič aims to guarantee the US sticks to the agreed 15% tariffs. His docket includes meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He volition besides caput to Capitol Hill to conscionable members of the US Congress.

Washington has besides tied the removal of alloy and aluminium tariffs to EU moves to unbend integer rules it sees arsenic targeting US Big Tech firms.

While the Commission has ever defended its sovereign close to legislate — insisting rules are applied without favoritism — discussions connected mounting up an EU-US forum connected integer issues person precocious surfaced.

Whether that still-vague concession volition beryllium capable to unafraid US question connected metals remains to beryllium seen.