"Espero que el público británico vea lo práctico que es", dice Maros Šefčovič

Name: "Espero que el público británico vea lo práctico que es", dice Maros Šefčovič
Uploaded: 2025-05-23T15:16:19+00:00
Duration: 12 min
Channel: euronews (en español)

euronews (en español)

23/5/2025

"Espero que el público británico vea lo práctico que es", dice Maros Šefčovič

En una entrevista con 'Euronews', Maros Šefčovič afirma que se ha dado un paso muy importante hacia un nuevo capítulo en las relaciones bilaterales.

MÁS INFORMACIÓN : http://es.euronews.com/2025/05/23/espero-que-el-publico-britanico-vea-lo-practico-que-es-dice-maros-sefcovic

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00:00Welcome to the Europe Conversation.

00:09My guest this week is EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic.

00:13He's in the middle of a 90-day window of negotiations with the United States over trade tariffs.

00:19He says he's hoping for a fair and balanced outcome,

00:22but he says EU standards on food are not up for negotiation.

00:26Commissioner Sefcovic, EU Commissioner for Trade,

00:30thank you very much for joining us on the Europe Conversation.

00:33Thank you very much for the invitation.

00:34So we've been talking about Brexit for years,

00:37and there's always been a lot of rancour around the EU and the UK moving apart.

00:42But earlier this week, we saw a tiny movement towards each other.

00:46I mean, was that sort of a victory for you after all your years of turmoil?

00:51I think we really made a very important step forward,

00:55and we are opening really the new chapter in the EU-UK relations,

00:59and we clearly covered lots of ground also in the new areas

01:02where we were to cooperate much more and much more closely.

01:04But obviously you wouldn't have been surprised at some of the messaging

01:07in some of the UK press saying that Keir Starmer was stitched up like a kipper

01:11and this was a surrender summit.

01:13Did you get guarantees that a further government in five years' time or so in the UK,

01:18a Tory government, couldn't break the deal made from the UK and the EU?

01:23I think that they would do what is the best for the people.

01:28And I believe that the agreements we have reached today are the best for the UK citizens,

01:35the best for the EU, because we are eternal neighbours,

01:38we are the biggest trading partners, and we are closest to the lies.

01:43So if we want to restore the bridge building among the young people between the EU and the UK,

01:50if we want to make it easier for the farmers, for the fishers through the SPS agreement,

01:55and if we want to make it even better for the people from Northern Ireland,

01:59I think these are all very important messages,

02:02and I hope that also the people in the UK would see it like that,

02:06and the practical results and practical implementation of the agreements will just prove that.

02:09Getting back to, let's say, the EU and the US negotiations,

02:12nobody will forget where they were on April 2nd in the Rose Garden

02:15when the Trump administration applied huge tariffs to countries all across the world,

02:20including an island of penguins, as well as 20% tariffs on the European Union.

02:24But there is a 90-day pause on that for negotiations.

02:28That's coming up soon, in about a month and a half.

02:30Tell us where the negotiations are.

02:32I spent quite some time with my both interlocutors,

02:36with Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Lutnik, or U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Greer,

02:42and I have to say that we are almost in permanent touch.

02:45We are talking over the phone.

02:48We are communicating via all possible channels,

02:52and we are preparing for another round.

02:55I mean, we are ready to have technical discussions now on, I would say,

02:59the scoping process which we just completed.

03:02Is that new, though, Commissioner?

03:04Is that a decision in recent days that you've actually moved to a new raised position

03:08now that you're actually talking much more specific?

03:11Yeah, I think we are now on much more specific discussions.

03:14Of course, what is very important for us is that the deal,

03:18which I believe we will reach in the end, is fair and it's balanced,

03:23because I think this was a very, very clear message which I got

03:26when we've been debating this issue on the level of the trade ministers of the European Union.

03:32We, as the biggest trading partner of the United States,

03:37clearly deserve the equal treatment, fair treatment,

03:39and this is what we are aiming in the deal with the U.S.

03:42So what we proposed was several areas where we believe that we can achieve much more

03:46if we work jointly, you know, be it energy security,

03:50be it dependencies in the critical minerals,

03:53or be it the whole area of the digital cooperation.

03:57Because, as we know, the United States said 0% tariffs is a nice start,

04:00but we want greater access to your markets when it comes to agriculture.

04:03Is that a red line for the Commission,

04:05that it won't reduce scientific-based standards when it comes to agriculture production?

04:10I think we've been quite clear that we clearly would preserve our regulatory autonomy.

04:17And if I follow a little bit the discussion in the United States of America,

04:22I mean, there is also a lot of talk about, you know, having healthier food,

04:28what should be, you know, the composition of the food processing, and so on and so forth.

04:33And I think we already had this discussion in Europe,

04:36and we are very proud of our health and safety standards.

04:39If it comes to food, if it comes to agri-food production,

04:43we are going clearly to stick to them.

04:45So that's not going to happen, because that's something that they are being pushed for.

04:48They keep saying they don't take our meat, they don't take our agriculture products.

04:51Are you going to be able to change that in any way?

04:53It's not a 100% correct statement, because we take their products

04:58if they respect the health standards of the European Union.

05:03And as far as I'm following the discussions, in the U.S.,

05:06they are also kind of pointing into that direction to have healthier food,

05:11less chemicals, you know, more focus on the organic production,

05:15and all these things which already, I mean, we discussed and agreed upon in the EU.

05:20So everything depends on the standards.

05:22We respect American standards.

05:24We, of course, ask the Americans to respect the European standards.

05:26So that's not up for negotiation standards?

05:28I think if it comes to health and safety issues,

05:32I mean, clearly these are not up for negotiations.

05:34The other issue that they have is the VAT is a form of collecting tax.

05:37They say it's a non-tariff cheating, and they don't really get that.

05:41Obviously, they pick up taxes in other ways, but VAT is a problem.

05:45Is that something? Is that a red line also for the EU?

05:47I think that it's not realistic to expect that now the 27 member states

05:53would change their budgetary procedures,

05:55because for us the VAT is a very important source of revenue for the government.

06:01And we, of course, spent quite a lot of time in explaining

06:04that the VAT is non-discriminatory,

06:07that it's levied on everyone, on European producers,

06:10on American producers, on Asian, on African producers.

06:14And on top of it, I think it's like more than 150 countries around the globe

06:18is using the VAT tax.

06:22Do they agree with that, though, because you haven't yet met

06:24the senior trade secretary, Peter Navarro?

06:27So, Peter Navarro, I understand, is playing a very important role

06:31as advisor to President Trump.

06:34My two interlocutors are Secretary of Commerce,

06:38Mr. Havard Latnik, who has, I would say, huge authority

06:41over the issue of trade.

06:42And then, of course, the US Trade Representative, Ambassador Greer.

06:46So, these are my two principal interlocutors.

06:48We are always happy to talk also to Mr. Navarro

06:52if there will be availability.

06:54And you talked about the tech industry

06:56and how you could engage with the tech industry in the United States.

07:00That's something we've heard for quite some time.

07:02They would like to weaken the regulatory standards

07:04of the Digital Service Act and the Digital Markets Act.

07:08I mean, is that something that the EU may have to look at doing?

07:11Because the tech industry does really have

07:13a lot of influence in the White House.

07:15If we agree on the, let's say, basic principle

07:18that what is illegal offline should be illegal online,

07:24so then I think we have a common understanding

07:27that we should be able also to enforce this principle in practice.

07:30And this is what our digital legislation is about.

07:33I was also explaining to our American interlocutors

07:36that if it comes to, let's say, the dominant position of the market,

07:41it's very often the medium-sized and small American companies

07:45based in the EU who are pointing out to some of the,

07:48let's say, anomalies on the markets.

07:50And this is what we are discussing with the big tech.

07:53But as I said, we are always ready to debate

07:57all these issues in a friendly manner with the U.S.

07:59As you know, we go through quite an important process

08:03of simplification on parts of our legislation.

08:06But I think that for the big tech of the U.S.,

08:11we are a very important market.

08:12For some of them, we have more subscribers here in Europe than in the U.S.

08:16I understand that it's somewhere between 30 to 50 percent

08:18of the revenue they are generating in Europe.

08:25So it's only logical.

08:27Okay.

08:27So the other issue is making up the €15 billion deficit

08:31in trade of goods that the U.S. and the EU have.

08:35The idea being to buy more from America.

08:38What areas would you look at?

08:39How would you get consumers to buy more?

08:41And how would it look like the EU could buy more from the United States

08:44to, I suppose, fill that gap?

08:47I think that first and foremost, there's clearly the huge potential.

08:51And I would say on the both sides.

08:53Because, I mean, we have also lots of products

08:56which are totally indispensable for the United States of America.

09:01And we also recognize the fact that if you take into account

09:05trade in goods and services,

09:08so the overall deficit is a little bit more than €50 billion.

09:11We have a difference of opinion on that figure.

09:14But I think if you take into account

09:16the internationally recognized category of trade in goods and services,

09:20so it's €50 billion,

09:21which I think comparing to €1.6 trillion of euros

09:24is really a small sum of money.

09:26And we should be able to solve that.

09:28So, coming to the concrete categories,

09:30if it comes to energy security,

09:32I was responsible for the common purchase of gas

09:36where the US LNG was playing a crucial role.

09:38I know that our farmers are in need of soybean support.

09:43I know that we want to build a robust AI infrastructure in Europe.

09:52And you simply need these high-quality AI chips,

09:54which also, and it runs into the billions and billions.

09:58And the UK just finished its trade negotiation with the US,

10:01but has accepted a 10% tariff baseline.

10:04Is that something that you think the EU might have to concede

10:07in order to get past this?

10:08Because as we know, we're coming up to the end of the 90 days

10:11and there hasn't been sort of an end to the negotiations yet.

10:15What was a very clear message I got from our trade ministers was that they insist on having a balanced deal with the US.

10:24So, of course, we are ready to negotiate with our American partners.

10:29We would look for the balanced deal.

10:32Our UK partners, they concluded the negotiations.

10:39Of course, there is a lot what is in the paper.

10:42There is a lot which still have to be worked out

10:44because it was, I think, a very important framework agreement

10:49with a lot of things to be done in the future.

10:52But you couldn't accept 10% tariffs, though, could you?

10:55I mean, what we want is a symmetrical, fair deal, and this is what we'll be pushing for.

11:00Because the countermeasures, of course, that the EU has ready to go if the negotiations fail,

11:06I mean, there's things like whiskey and bourbon are on them,

11:08a lot of countries in negotiation to make sure that wasn't on the list.

11:11Are you concerned about the implications of moving forward after 90 days

11:15without an end to the negotiations?

11:17If you look at the measures, which some of them are already imposed by the US,

11:22we are already paying 10% tariff, we are already paying 25% tariff for steel,

11:27we are already paying 25% for cars.

11:30And we really believe that this is simply not fair.

11:33So we want to resolve it through the negotiated solutions.

11:38But, of course, we are also preparing alternatively

11:42that we would have to protect the European jobs and European companies.

11:45And, therefore, we started the consultations on eventual rebalancing measures.

11:50Okay, Commissioner Shefsevich, thank you very much for joining us on the Europe Conversation.

11:54Thank you very much for inviting me.

11:55Thank you very much for joining us on the Europe Conversation.

11:59Thank you.

"Espero que el público británico vea lo práctico que es", dice Maros Šefčovič

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