US, EU Officials Hold Talks to Advance Trade Deal, Critical Minerals Cooperation
European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced a productive meeting during the World Trade Organization’s ministerial meeting in Cameroon on March 28, and Šefčovič is seeking an opportunity to visit the United States to continue advancing trade relations.
Trade talks between the two countries will continue beyond March, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said.
The EU has been grappling with how to fulfill its obligations under the free trade agreement it reached between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last summer. The deal includes measures to equalize tariffs between the United States and the EU.
On March 26, the European Parliament voted on a plan to implement the deal, albeit with safeguard provisions to raise tariffs if the United States raises its own, or if U.S. imports rise to a level the EU finds disruptive to European industry.
“It was, of course, important to have the positive vote in the European Parliament last week, because it just demonstrates that on both sides, despite all the turbulence on the global stage, we are sticking to the agreement and that it’s very important for us,” Šefčovič said on Saturday.
The United States is the EU’s largest trading partner. Exports from the bloc to the United States were valued at a record $641 billion in 2025.
In addition to working to equalize trade, Šefčovič said he and Greer also agreed to advance collaborative efforts on critical minerals.
“We also are looking for the date when I could come, and this time it would be me visiting the United States, and I believe that a lot of these issues, be it multilateral or bilateral, could be addressed as well,” the European trade commissioner said.
In an X post discussing their meeting, Greer said Šefčovič is expected to visit the United States at some point in April “for further work on non-tariff barriers to facilitate U.S. exports of LNG and fuels, timber products, and digital services.”
Greer likewise confirmed efforts are ongoing to advance cooperative arrangements in critical minerals.
Efforts to implement the U.S.-EU trade deal come as ongoing fighting across the Middle East has brought maritime shipping through the region to a near standstill, impacting global supplies of fuel, fertilizer, and other commodities.
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