The European Union and the United States are working to align their approaches to steel trade, particularly regarding overcapacity and competition from third countries, following high-level talks in Washington between EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. 

Sefcovic announced that both sides agreed to accelerate technical-level coordination on steel trade, while also formalizing a separate critical minerals partnership during his visit. 

European manufacturers have faced a punishing 50% US tariff on steel and aluminum imports since President Trump returned to office, with these products notably excluded from the broader EU-US trade deal struck last summer that set a 15% tariff rate for most other European goods. 

Both the EU and the US acknowledged a shared challenge of global steel overcapacity, with Sefcovic pointing to the EU's recent decision to double tariffs on foreign steel as evidence of Europe's efforts to protect its industry from an influx of cheap Chinese exports. 

The talks signal a growing willingness between Brussels and Washington to coordinate on industrial trade policy, even as significant tariff disputes between the two allies remain unresolved.