Lutnick Says Deal on EU Metal Tariffs Depends on Changes to Digital Rules

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Nearly four months after European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen struck a trade deal with US President Donald Trump, Europe has a fresh problem. In an interview with Bloomberg this lunchtime, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that any concessions for the European Union on steel and aluminum tariffs are contingent on the bloc rolling back rules on the digital industry.

“We are talking to them about” rolling back EU tech rules, Lutnick told Bloomberg Television. “In exchange for that, we will come up with a cool steel and aluminum deal” he added. Lutnick, along with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, is in Brussels for today’s meeting of EU trade ministers. His comments came straight off the back of a meeting with EU Technology Commissioner Henna Virkunnen.