BRUSSELS, Feb 6 — EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan will meet his US counterpart Robert Lighthizer in Washington today, a surprise visit as Brussels seeks to end a transatlantic trade row.
The departure, which was revealed after Hogan at the last minute cancelled a speech in Brussels on Thursday, follows a visit only last month.
“These meetings are part of the regular bilateral contacts” between the EU and the US “for a positive bilateral transatlantic trade agenda”, an EU spokesman added, without further details.
Last month in Davos, Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced their willingness to relaunch transatlantic talks and to conclude a formal trade truce in the coming weeks.
EU-US trade relations had deteriorated since President Donald Trump came to power three years ago and declared a war against his country’s yawning trade deficit with Europe.
The skirmishes began when Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU, which shot back by taxing iconic US products, including denim jeans and motorcycles.
Trump has also threatened duties on European cars, which is of particular concern to Germany, but he has so far backed down under the pressure of US congress. — AFP
