Von der Leyen: “I will meet Trump only with a package for the solution to tariffs”

MILAN – The United States and Europe can sit down to discuss tariffs only with a concrete proposal in hand as a basis for discussion. This was clarified by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen . "On the list of countermeasures, we have been transparent from the beginning, we have always said that we prefer the negotiated solution but that we were ready to act to protect our interests. I have had good discussions with President Trump, on the phone and at the Pope's funeral in Rome, but "I think it is important that if I go to the White House, it is only with a package to discuss". von der Leyen at a press conference, answering a question about negotiations with the US on tariffs. "I want to be concrete, with a solution that we can agree on", she added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke about tariffs. "My personal opinion" is that "we would prefer not to see any tariffs. We have had a period with very low tariff rates, slightly different between the EU and the US and for different product categories. But I firmly believe that zero tariffs is the best solution and that mutual recognition of technological standards is an integral part of it," Merz said at a press conference in Brussels with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, answering the question of whether having 10% tariffs from the United States is an acceptable condition for the EU.