Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU executive which handles trade policy for the 27 member states, said the bloc was ready to keep working towards an agreement before August 1, but was willing to stand firm.
"We will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required," she said of possible retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods entering Europe.
EU ambassadors will discuss next steps on Sunday, before trade ministers meet in Brussels on Monday for an extraordinary meeting. They will need to decide whether to impose tariffs on 21 billion euros of U.S. imports in retaliation against separate U.S. tariffs against steel and aluminium, or extend a suspension which lasts until the end of Monday.
