One day after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the imposition of a '50% tariff' on the European Union (EU) for about a month, conversations between the two sides resumed, marking a new phase in the negotiations.
Maroš Šefčovič, the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, noted on the afternoon of the 26th (local time) that he had a "good phone call" with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on X (formerly Twitter).
Commissioner Šefčovič said, "The EU Commission will continue to make constructive and focused efforts toward an EU-U.S. agreement" and added, "We will keep in contact." The contents of the currency exchange have not yet been disclosed.
Earlier on the 23rd, while tariffs negotiations were ongoing, President Trump suddenly announced that, due to "no progress in negotiations," he would impose a 50% tariff on the EU starting June 1.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission, called President Trump to request a delay on the previously announced 50% tariff that was set to begin on the 1st of next month, and President Trump agreed, postponing the tariff measure to July 9.
Paula Pinho, the chief spokesperson for the commission, stated at a regular briefing that regarding the phone call between the leaders, "They agreed to expedite negotiations and to maintain communication between the leaders," noting that "a new momentum for negotiations has emerged, and there is positive engagement at the leadership level. We are always ready to reach an agreement."