Trump agrees to extend the proposed 50% EU tariff to July 9, 2025, after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Talks are set to "begin rapidly," he said.

The European Union said Monday that it will "fast-track" trade negotiations with the US as a new deadline looms.

Ms von der Leyen’s top adviser, Bjoern Seibert, is right at the heart of the EU’s response, directing the strategy behind the scenes. It is understood many of the decisions made inside the commission on this flow through him.

European Union countries backed plans on Tuesday to scale back the bloc's carbon border levy to cover just 10% of the companies currently covered by the scheme, on the grounds that these firms account for nearly all of the emissions involved.

The EU on Monday agreed to speed up tariff talks with the US, easing concerns about a trans-Atlantic trade war. The move followed Trump’s announcement on Sunday that the US woul

President Trump’s threat to impose big charges — including 50 percent on the European Union — was in question after judges blocked his across-the-board levies.

European companies in China have ranked a domestic slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy as a bigger challenge for them than the trade war, underlining the hurdles for Beijing as it negotiates with the US on tariffs.

The European Union is seeking to accelerate trade talks with the US just six weeks before President Donald Trump’s threatened 50% tariffs come into effect.