Turning to the newly implemented US tariffs now. The European Commission said it hopes to discuss the tariffs on steel and aluminum with the United States this week through contacts, instead of formal talks.

A European Commission spokesman said that the commission expects contacts to take place at several levels within the week but no meetings have been planned. The EU and Japan last week urged Washington to grant them exemptions from the tariffs, as it did with Canada, Mexico and Australia. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he would send Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to talk to the EU, about not the exemptions, but about eliminating tariffs against the U.S.