“There might be more like-minded countries for the EU to work with than you would have thought,” added the source, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. The EU has racked up accords in recent months, including with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries and with Mexico — and wants to do a free-trade deal with India this year.
Šefčovič announced the agreement in Brussels after meeting with Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo.
In comments to reporters, he emphasized the importance of the digital deal as efforts to head off a transatlantic trade escalation stall.
Although the European Union’s “doors are open,” the United States “does not seem to be engaging to make a deal” to avoid a tariff war ahead of the planned reimposition of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum on Wednesday.
“We jointly identified the few areas that would allow us to move forward by fostering a mutual benefit. But in the end, one hand cannot clap,” Šefčovič said.
The trade commissioner also placed a call with his Thai counterpart on Monday, ahead of a round of negotiations on a trade deal later this month. And he namechecked ongoing talks with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and partners in the Middle East to deepen commercial ties.