EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič announced on Monday, June 30th, that he will travel to Washington in a final push to secure a trade agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration before the July 9 cutoff.
The European Commission, which oversees trade policy for the 27-member bloc, faces the threat of sweeping U.S. tariffs on most EU goods if a deal is not reached by next Wednesday.
“The ninth of July is around the corner,” Šefčovič told reporters, adding that he intends to meet with his U.S. counterparts in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday. Should talks collapse, EU exports could be hit with tariffs doubling to 20 percent.
Although Šefčovič last met U.S. negotiators in person during an OECD meeting in Paris in early June, he noted that regular communication has continued via phone. A technical delegation from the EU is already on the ground in Washington, working on the details.
According to Šefčovič, the Commission has received “first drafts of the proposals for the eventual agreement in principle” and is actively working on them.