EU, US to end trade tariffs, call for new study into Covid-19 origins

[BRUSSELS] The leaders of the European Union (EU) and the United States are set to commit to lifting steel tariffs before Dec 1, 2021 and avoid any further transatlantic trade disputes, according to a draft statement prepared for a June 15 summit in Brussels.

The draft, seen by Reuters and which will be discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday, also commits to ending a long-running spat over subsidies to aircraft makers before July 11.

Both sides will agree to cooperate on facing China's economic, political and military rise policy and also call for a new study into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, first detected in China.

"We call for progress on a transparent, evidence-based ... study on the origins of Covid-19, that is free from interference," the draft said.

REUTERS