Europe heading for the same 15% tax deal as Japan?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke on Wednesday of possible imminent "decisions" in trade talks between the EU and the United States, which are seeking an agreement before the August 1 deadline set by Donald Trump. "We are learning right now that decisions could be made," Merz said as he welcomed Emmanuel Macron for a working meeting in Berlin.

According to the British daily "Financial Times," citing three people familiar with the negotiations, Europeans and Americans are on the verge of concluding a trade agreement that would impose 15% tariffs on European imports, similar to the agreement Donald Trump recently concluded with Japan.

On these trade issues, Emmanuel Macron added, alongside Merz, "we have been in constant contact (...) with our other European colleagues and with the President of the European Commission to monitor, drive, and coordinate our response today to the tariff offensive that has been launched."

Emmanuel Macron insisted on their shared desire "to provide stability and have the lowest possible tariffs, but also, obviously, to be respected as partners that we are."

On Wednesday, the European Union's chief negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, who is representing the position of the 27 members of the Union, is scheduled to meet with his American counterpart, Howard Lutnick. "The EU's priority is to reach a negotiated agreement with the United States," a European Commission spokesperson also said on Wednesday, before the August 1 deadline set by the Trump administration.