This is Beirut - European Union

EU Chief Delays Retaliation for US Tariffs in Search of Deal

This is Beirut, 13/07 15:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with sweeping 30-percent ...

Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU and Mexican Imports

This is Beirut, 12/07 17:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Donald Trump announced on Saturday the imposition of 30% tariffs on products imported into the United States from the European Union and Mexico, a new escalation amid ongoing negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline, which has raised alarm across Europe. The U.S. president justified the decision in a new letter published on his Truth Social ...

EU 'Locked and Loaded' to Conclude Trade Deal with US

This is Beirut, 11/07 15:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The EU said Friday it was ready to strike a deal with Washington to avoid swingeing tariffs, after US President Donald Trump sowed doubt over reaching an accord. "We remain on our side fully locked and loaded to conclude an agreement with the US," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill told reporters. "Let's see what happens when our friends in Washington ...

EU Says Israel Has Agreed to 'Expand' Gaza Aid Access

This is Beirut, 10/07 18:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The EU on Thursday struck a deal with Israel to increase aid access to Gaza that should see more food trucks entering and the opening of additional crossing points, the bloc's top diplomat said. "Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "This ...

Macron and Starmer Seal Defense Pact 'Reboot' at UK Summit

This is Beirut, 10/07 09:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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French President Emmanuel Macron wraps up a three-day state visit to Britain on Thursday with a summit aiming to "reboot" defense ties with a focus on joint missile development and nuclear co-operation. Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are also expected to discuss maintaining support for Ukraine and curbing undocumented cross-Channel ...

EU Aims to Reach Trade Deal with US in 'Coming Days'

This is Beirut, 09/07 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. US President Donald Trump's sweeping levies were due to snap back into force ...

German Chancellor 'Cautiously Optimistic' on EU-US Tariff Deal

This is Beirut, 09/07 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday he was "cautiously optimistic" about the prospects of a deal between the European Union and the United States to avert increased tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. "I am cautiously optimistic that we may succeed in reaching an agreement with the United States in the next few days or at ...

Bulgaria to Get Final Green Light to Adopt Euro in 2026

This is Beirut, 08/07 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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EU ministers are set to give the final green light on Tuesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, when the country would become the single currency area's 21st member. The European Commission said last month that the EU's poorest country had fulfilled the strict conditions to adopt the euro, while the European Central Bank (ECB) ...

Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

This is Beirut, 07/07 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump has said he will send letters to select trade partners facing tariff hikes as early as Monday, piling pressure on countries to strike a deal with Washington before a new August 1 deadline. The White House announced sharp levies on dozens of economies in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations, which were ...

Trump Says to Send First Tariff Letters on Monday

This is Beirut, 07/07 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union USA Tariffs Letters

US President Donald Trump announced he would send the first tariff letters to various countries on Monday, days before his deadline for trading partners to reach a deal expires. Trump said on Sunday that he will send a first batch of up to 15 letters, warning that US levies on imports will snap back to the high levels he set in April if countries ...

EU, US to Hold Last-Ditch Trade Talks Through Weekend

This is Beirut, 04/07 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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EU and US negotiators will hold final stretch talks through the weekend as Brussels chases a deal before a July 9 deadline to avoid the return of steep tariffs, diplomats said on Friday. If the European Union does not clinch an agreement with the United States by Wednesday next week, higher levies will snap back in and unleash economic pain on ...

Macron Wants EU-US Trade Deal 'As Soon As Possible'

This is Beirut, 03/07 20:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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France's President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he wanted an EU-US trade deal "as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible", with a Washington-set deadline looming to reach an accord. "The right deal for me is the deal that is struck as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible, and that must be fair and firm," Macron ...