The United States has threatened to impose a potential 17% tariff on agriculture and food exports from the European Union, an EU diplomat said on Friday.
Negotiators from the European Commission are in talks with U.S. counterparts in a bid to secure relief from U.S. tariffs and avoid any further hikes.
The Commission briefed EU envoys and said the United States had floated a possible U.S. levy on EU food, the EU diplomat said.
The deadline U.S. President Donald Trump set for major trading partners to strike deals with Washington or face hefty tariffs expires next week, bringing to a close 90 days of volatility but leaving global investors in the dark over what will happen next.
Trump's propensity to issue a threat, or impose a new tariff, only to reverse course shortly afterwards has led to turmoil over the past three months.