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Trade negotiators were scrambling on Thursday to avoid the U.S.
resuming import tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imposed by
then-President Donald Trump in 2018 before November.
The Israel-Hamas war, and a looming ground offensive by Israel
into Gaza would likely dominate the discussions, von der Leyen
said in Washington, warning about the risk of "regional
spillover" from the conflict.
The Biden administration suspended tariffs on EU steel and
aluminum imports on the condition that both sides agree by the
end of this month on measures to address overcapacity in
non-market economies such as China, and to promote greener
steel.
Any deal seems far off, with Washington keen that the EU apply
the metal tariffs to imports from China and Brussels refusing to
do so before a year-long investigation to comply with World
Trade Organization rules.
Also elusive appeared a deal to lessen the hit from the U.S.
Inflation Reduction Act, which offers consumers tax breaks to
buy electric vehicles (EVs) assembled in North America.
One of the sources said the two sides had made some progress on
an agreement that would allow EVs with EU-sourced critical
materials - cobalt, graphite, lithium, manganese and nickel - to
qualify for partial tax breaks, but were unlikely to finalize an
agreement before Friday's summit.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal; Editing by
Heather Timmons and Jamie Freed)
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