Brussels/London (Reuters) – The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, began consultations on Monday with representatives of the EU industrial sectors affected by American customs rights on the response to the decisions of Donald Trump.

Ursula von der Leyen first addressed representatives of the metallurgical industry by phone, then had to exchange with those in the automotive sector. A conference call is planned with the pharmaceutical sector on Tuesday, the commission said in a statement.

According to a source of discussions with representatives of the metallurgical sector, the latter asked for measures to alleviate the “indirect effects” of American customs duties, as well as urgent action to preserve iron and steel scraps within the EU.

Last month, the European Commission said it was planning to impose export rights on scrap sales from the EU. It has also strengthened steel backup measures to reduce imports by 15% from April 1.

“Constructive meeting … The feeling of urgency and the clarity of the objectives are much better than a few months ago,” said the source.

The Association of European Automobiles (ACEA) manufacturers is asking for a negotiated solution, said a spokesperson. Car manufacturers put pressure on the EU so that it reduces its customs duties on imports of American cars. In January, BMW asked that customs duties be reduced from 10% to 2.5%.

The president of the European Commission was to speak in particular with the leaders of BMW, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Scania, Daimler Truck and Bosch.

The EFPIA, the European lobby of large pharmaceutical companies, and Europabio, the European biotechnology group, are invited Tuesday at 08:30 GMT.

Pharmaceutical products were exempt from customs duties announced by Donald Trump last week, but he says they will be the subject of distinct customs duties.

(Report by Julia Payne and Maggie Fick, Elena Smirnova)

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