European Union official: European Union believes trade talks with US are accelerating

Talks between the European Union and the United States are speeding up, but the European Union would prefer a good deal to a quick trade deal, Poland's deputy economy minister, Baranowski, said on Thursday. Trump imposed a series of industry tariffs affecting European car, steel and aluminum manufacturers, but later reduced them to 10 percent for 90 days to allow negotiations. "We see some elements of optimism because we see elements of de-escalation on the U.S. side," said Baranowski, who chaired a meeting of European Union trade officials. "This is a good sign that negotiations with the European Union are speeding up." Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, European Union Commission Vice President Sergei Sefcovic also said he had a "constructive call" with U.S. Commerce Secretary Jutnik on Wednesday. "Our goal is to address the immediate challenges while also laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation," Sergei Sefcovic said. (Kim 10)