Busy week ahead for the EU

The European Union is facing a busy schedule next week, as the bloc will try to reach a tariff deal with the United States. 

Last week, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič held talks with US Secretary of State for Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in Washington. However, the talks failed to produce a mutually acceptable deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened the EU with 30% tariffs on European goods as of 1 August. For its part, the EU is trying to secure a balanced trade deal, noting that a 30% tariff is effectively a trade embargo. Brussels is, however, also preparing countermeasures in the event that Washington follows through with the plan.

Also next week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will travel to Tokyo and Beijing for summits with the leaders of Japan and China. This will be the 30th EU-Japan summit.

The focus of discussion will be on security and defense, economy and competitiveness, contemporary geopolitical challenges, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and the security situation in the Indo-Pacific.

After departing from Tokyo, Von der Leyen and Costa will travel to Beijing for the 25th EU-China summit, which will focus on how to establish a more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship.

China is the EU's second largest trading partner. Relations between the two sides have been strained in recent years over China's support of Russia and its failure to fully open its market to European companies.

Also next week, EU interior ministers will hold an informal meeting in Copenhagen on Tuesday. The focus of discussion will be on a system for returning illegal migrants and new solutions for managing illegal migration. Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, is among those member states advocating for the strictest possible policy on migration.