Šefčovič: The trade dialogue with the USA continues, negotiations are also ongoing with other countries

Bratislava – Meetings, such as the Visegrad 4 Business conference held on Tuesday in Bratislava, are extremely important in this very turbulent phase, where it is necessary for the public and private sectors to communicate as often as possible in order to jointly find solutions to the challenges we face. This was stated by European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič after the conference, TASR reports.

The briefing was also attended by the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and Vice-Chairman of Hlas-SD Richard Raši and the Chairman of the Council of Slovak Exporters Lukáš Parízek, who is also the organizer of the conference.

In connection with the issue of American tariffs, Šefčovič stated that specific negotiations are currently underway.

“Last week, our (…) teams focused on jointly evaluating more than 1000 customs items. This means what tariffs, what customs rates we have applied to each other, how we can help each other, and in what way these tariffs could be reflected in the positive trade balance that the European Union has with the United States in the area of goods,” he said. He added that on Wednesday (June 4), together with the American trade representative, they assessed this progress as positive. Šefčovič specified that as a European Commissioner, he will do his utmost to reach a positive agreement as soon as possible.

He also emphasized that although the United States accounts for up to 13 percent of world trade, there is another 87 percent that the EU is also focusing on. He added that he is currently negotiating with countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to him, the EU’s relations with China are also a very important topic, where, in his view, an open dialogue is taking place.

“We have very openly identified the issues that concern us, meaning under what conditions European companies operate in China,” he said. He also added that they are discussing the supply of rare earths and magnets that are lacking in the EU.

Raši warned that any customs barriers between the United States and the EU will have a direct impact on employment, investment certainty, and social stability, and he pointed out the risk of an escalation of the trade war, from which no one will emerge as a winner.

“We advocate for dialogue, de-escalation, and joint European solutions that will support competitiveness – not undermine trust in the transatlantic partnership,” emphasized the Speaker of the National Council.

The Visegrad 4 Business conference, attended by more than 500 participants from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, has been jointly organized since 2022 by four business organizations from the V4 region: the Council of Slovak Exporters, the Czech Exporters Association, the Hungarian Entrepreneurs Club MAPI Club, and the Polish Economic Forum. The key topics of this year’s forum are trade relations between the V4 and the USA, the automotive sector, EU competitiveness, and the trade potential of the V4. (June 10)