EU Open to Talks on Equal Car Tariffs With US – German Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union is open to an arrangement with the United States on equal or lower tariffs on car imports, the German economy minister said Friday.

"The EU has been cautious. We are ready to discuss lower or equal tariffs on cars. This would be the best option for all citizens and businesses in the US and Europe," Peter Altmaier told Austria’s ORF channel.

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Altmaier said after an informal meeting of EU trade ministers in Innsbruck that EU-US talks on car tariffs were underway. He added there were no results but the negotiations had just begun.

The minister said he was convinced that the union could reach a trade deal with Washington to avoid duties on most industrial goods and avert a trade war. He said EU businesses were already suffering from the US tariff war with China.

In July, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Donald Trump held a meeting to discuss trade relations between the two sides agreeing, among other things, to avoid any new tariffs while negotiating future arrangements for trans-Atlantic trade.

The trade relations between the United States and the European Union have been deteriorating since June after Trump introduced tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the EU.