Brussels ‘urgently’ asks EU companies about US exposure as trade war deadline nears – POLITICO

The message from BusinessEurope said: “We have received just now an urgent request from the Cabinet of Commissioner [Maroš] Šefčovič to provide available data about ongoing and planned European investments in the U.S.,” according to a national industry representative.

The request came “late Friday night” and responses are expected “as soon as possible,” the representative added, but there is no formal deadline. BusinessEurope is the largest lobby group in Brussels and represents all national employers’ federations.

It’s unclear whether the Commission has sent business groups a full letter or even a questionnaire with more detailed requests. Several more sector-specific organizations in Brussels told POLITICO they hadn’t received anything, most likely because they are not direct members of BusinessEurope.

BusinessEurope confirmed it “was contacted to assist with collecting the most recent data on European investments in the U.S. to demonstrate the importance of the EU-U.S. economic relations,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Commission said the executive was not able to comment on internal procedures.

Reuters reported first on the request.

Camille Gijs and Pieter Haeck contributed to this report.