“There is a clear preference on the U.S. side to stick to the deal as we agreed it. And it’s also their preference on our side,” Šefčovič said.
In D.C. patience with the EU’s slowness in enacting the deal has worn thin. The commissioner only this week began negotiations with EU capitals and lawmakers to find a compromise on implementing the EU’s side of the bargain, under which the bloc would scrap all tariffs on U.S. industrial goods.
The European Parliament has proposed several amendments to the two legal texts that would lower the U.S. tariffs: It added a so-called sunrise clause for the deal to kick in only after the U.S. reduces tariffs on products containing steel, and a sunset clause under which the deal would expire in March 2028.
Asked about those conditions, Šefčovič said: “It’s very difficult to preclude the outcome of the negotiation. I just would like to have a clean result.”
He added: “I very much appreciate the position of the Council,” referring to the endorsement by EU member countries of the Turnberry deal last November without any additional requirements.
Cracks are appearing in the Council, meanwhile, with France aligning more closely with the European Parliament. Germany, meanwhile, opposes both the sunrise and sunset clauses called for by MEPs.