European Commission: EU-US agreements already in force

The political agreements between the European Union (EU) and Washington have come into force, with the United States reducing tariffs on EU exports by up to 15 percent, in line with the executive order signed last week, a representative of the European Commission (EC) who participated in negotiations with the US told journalists during a briefing, Report informs.

The representative did not specify when the joint statement by EC President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump would be ready and announced.

"Of course, I would like to present the joint statement to you today, but in fact, we can demonstrate the effective results of this statement," the EC representative noted.

According to the representative, "Europe is not celebrating, but has been able to breathe a sigh of relief," because otherwise the current situation and chances for subsequent agreements would have been worse.

"Work continues on finalizing the agreement. I cannot tell you the exact date when the joint statement will be published, but we hope it will happen very soon," emphasized the EC representative.

The representative stated that tariffs (25 percent + 2.5 percent) remain in force for some sectors, including Europe's automotive industry. However, changes are expected in the near future, they added.