It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 50 percent tariff on all goods sent to the United States from the EU. "The EU's fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both," EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said after a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"EU-US trade is unmatched & must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests."  On Friday, Trump expressed impatience with the pace of ongoing EU-US trade negotiations, saying his plan to raise tariffs on 1 June was set.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: "Our discussions with them (the EU) are going nowhere," adding that there would be no tariffs for products built or manufactured in the US. "I'm not looking for a deal - we've set the deal," he told reporters later, before immediately adding that a big investment in the US by a European company might make him open to a delay.  The EU is one of Washington's largest trading partners, sending more than USD 600bn (528 bn euro; 443bn pounds) in goods last year and buying USD 370bn worth, US government figures show. (BBC)