What Happened The battle lines have been drawn now that the United States and the European Union have outlined their priorities for future trade talks. On Jan. 11, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative notified Congress of the Trump administration's negotiating objectives. The goals included two crucial takeaways: The United States is looking to reduce barriers to trade with the European Union, including tariffs, but the objectives make no mention of auto tariffs, marking a departure from previous negotiations. Following her visit to Washington, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom announced the European Commission's proposed negotiating directives for trade, which must now be presented to the EU member states for approval. The commission is proposing two separate mandates: one to negotiate a trade agreement which reduces tariffs on industrial goods but ignores agriculture, as well as a second mandate to focus on harmonizing regulations between the two sides.