Trump, European Union leaders announce path forward on trade

<p>President Donald Trump and European Union leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed to work toward &quot;zero tariffs&quot; and &quot;zero subsidies&quot; on non-automobile goods and would work to resolve U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that have roiled European markets.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 25, 2018, 9:19 PM

Updated 2,110 days ago

Share:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump and European Union leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed to work toward "zero tariffs" and "zero subsidies" on non-automobile goods and would work to resolve U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that have roiled European markets.
  
The president, in a hastily called Rose Garden statement with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said the EU had agreed to buy "a lot of soybeans" and increase its imports of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. Juncker, meanwhile, said the U.S. and EU had agreed to hold off on further tariffs as part of trade talks aimed at averting a crippling trade dispute involving the lucrative automobile market.
  
Trump told reporters it was a "very big day for free and fair trade" and vowed to "resolve the steel and aluminum tariff issues and we will resolve retaliatory tariffs. We have some tariffs that are retaliatory and that will get resolved as part of what we're doing."
  
"We're starting the negotiation right now, but we know very much where it's going," Trump said after talks with European counterparts.
  
Juncker said he had an "intention to make a deal today and we made a deal today. We have identified a number of areas on which to work together, work towards zero tariffs on industrial goods. That was my main intention, for those to come down to zero tariffs on industrial goods."
  
As U.S. soybean farmers have struggled against retaliatory tariffs, Juncker said the EU "can import more soybeans from the U.S. and it will be done." He said the two sides also agreed to work together to reform the World Trade Organization, which Trump has vehemently criticized as being unfair to the U.S.
  
Earlier in the Oval Office, Juncker told Trump that the two trading partners were "allies, not enemies" and said they needed to work together to address recent frictions involving Trump's threats to impose tariffs on auto imports and EU plans to retaliate.
  
Trump has placed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, saying they pose a threat to U.S. national security, an argument that the EU and Canada reject. He has also threatened to slap tariffs on imported cars, trucks and auto parts, potentially targeting imports that last year totaled $335 billion.
  
The president has repeatedly called the EU - which includes many of the U.S.' oldest and most committed allies - an unfair trading partner and even labeled it a "foe."
  
The European Union has warned that it will retaliate with tariffs on products worth $20 billion if Trump puts duties on cars and auto parts from Europe.
  
 


More from News 12
0:38
Teen accused of driving stolen car while high, causing fatal crash in Centereach

Teen accused of driving stolen car while high, causing fatal crash in Centereach

2:09
Steady rain, chilly Sunday on Long Island; warmer start to workweek

Steady rain, chilly Sunday on Long Island; warmer start to workweek

0:27
Nassau police: 6 injured in shooting at Westbury home

Nassau police: 6 injured in shooting at Westbury home

0:21
State police: 32-year-old man killed in Wantagh Parkway crash

State police: 32-year-old man killed in Wantagh Parkway crash

0:45
Fire breaks out at Plainview storage facility

Fire breaks out at Plainview storage facility

1:50
‘No one is helping.’ Freeport tenants say complaints about fire alarm are falling on deaf ears

‘No one is helping.’ Freeport tenants say complaints about fire alarm are falling on deaf ears

0:46
Teachers participate at 15th annual 'GC for a Cure' 5K Run and Walk in memory of late educator

Teachers participate at 15th annual 'GC for a Cure' 5K Run and Walk in memory of late educator

0:53
Prosecutors: Queens man stole used cooking oil from 16 restaurants

Prosecutors: Queens man stole used cooking oil from 16 restaurants

0:28
Sag Harbor teen charged with DWI following crash into tree

Sag Harbor teen charged with DWI following crash into tree

2:15
Meeting held over next steps for cleanup at Bethpage Community Park

Meeting held over next steps for cleanup at Bethpage Community Park

1:32
Knowing the early warning signs during Stroke Awareness Month

Knowing the early warning signs during Stroke Awareness Month

0:38
Sam Ash Music announces closure of all store locations

Sam Ash Music announces closure of all store locations

1:39
Runners are lacing up for the Long Island Marathon Sunday. Click here to see which roads will close to traffic

Runners are lacing up for the Long Island Marathon Sunday. Click here to see which roads will close to traffic

1:58
Kids get up-close-and personal tour of Suffolk police headquarters during Police Week

Kids get up-close-and personal tour of Suffolk police headquarters during Police Week

2:15
EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Hochul talks retail theft, bail reform during visit to Lindenhurst

EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Hochul talks retail theft, bail reform during visit to Lindenhurst

1:56
JAC Shack gives BOCES students chance to work at restaurant

JAC Shack gives BOCES students chance to work at restaurant

2:39
Deer Park man heads to Washington DC to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease

Deer Park man heads to Washington DC to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease

0:20
Police: 13-year-old robbed at knifepoint on soccer field of Turtle Hook Middle School

Police: 13-year-old robbed at knifepoint on soccer field of Turtle Hook Middle School

0:25
Garbage truck driver indicted for 2023 fatal crash in Hauppauge

Garbage truck driver indicted for 2023 fatal crash in Hauppauge

10 organizations to donate to in support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities

10 organizations to donate to in support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities