EU trade chief ready to discuss trade deals, lower tariffs with Trump

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union's top trade officials said on Wednesday that the bloc was interested in making mutually beneficial trade deals with U.S. President Donald Trump, and was ready to discuss the potential for reducing or eliminating tariffs on motor vehicles and other goods.

Maros Sefcovic, commissioner for trade and economic security, told an American Enterprise Institute event in Washington that he would tell Trump administration officials that he hoped to avoid unilateral U.S. tariffs and European retaliation.

"I will be making this point to my American counterparts when I meet them later today. The EU is interested in making deals – deals that foster fairness, burden-sharing and mutual benefits," Sefcovic said.

(Reporting by David Lawder; additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Editing by Franklin Paul)