The European Union is trying to prevent the United States from targeting the bloc’s digital rules as both sides work through the final details of a delayed statement to formalize a trade deal reached last month, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
EU officials said disagreements over language relating to “non-tariff barriers,” which the U.S. said include the digital rules, are among the reasons for the hold-up of the statement, the newspaper said.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The European Union, the White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The statement had originally been expected days after the July announcement by EU President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to FT.
The July deal imposed a 15% import tariff on most EU goods - half the initially threatened rate - and helped avert a broader trade war between the two allies, who together account for nearly a third of global trade.
