The European Union is working toward having the U.S. lift its national-security tariffs on metal imports by the end of the year, EU Ambassador to Washington Stavros Lambrinidis said.                    

“We’re going to be sitting down in the next five months until the end of the year — we’re going to try to address the fundamental issue of overcapacity and the absolute goal for us is that those tariffs have to be lifted,” Lambrinidis said in a virtual discussion hosted by the Wilson Center on Monday. “We have to get rid of those tariffs — they’re hurting, so many, so many industries.”                  

Lambrinidis’ remarks come as the transatlantic partners work to improve trade relations that deteriorated under former President Donald Trump.

At a summit last week, the two partners agreed to extend a truce over aircraft subsidies for five years.