RTRS-Biden To Host EU-US Summit 20 Oct; Steel Tariffs To Be Discussed

Wires reporting that according to an unnamed senior EU official, US President Joe Biden is set to convene a summit in Washington, D.C., on 20 October for high-ranking EU and US officials, with steel tariffs among the issues they will attempt to resolve. Earlier in September, Politico reportedthat enough progress had been made in bilateral discussions regarding talks on green steel and aluminium that the trade summit could be merged into the biannual U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting.

• There is a deadline of 31 October to reach a deal or Trump-era tariffs, and the associated EU retaliatory measures, are set to kick back into force on 1 January.
• Goodwill between both sides could see a stopgap measure implemented to avoid this, but as Politico notes "The meeting offers a window to capitalize on the personal relationship that leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Joe Biden have built and seal a number of transatlantic agreements before both the EU and U.S. hold elections next year. For Brussels, especially, the summit feels like it could be a last chance before a possible comeback by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking reelection on an overtly protectionist platform."