Why on earth has Donald Trump been raising US tariffs at such a breakneck speed? Does he see this as a way to restore fair competition with his trading partners? To re-industrialize the US? Or maybe to bring money into state coffers to finance the promised tax cuts? With only a few days to go before April 2 − "Liberation Day," when the American president is due to unveil his panoply of new taxes on imports from all over the world − Europeans have been struggling to understand his motives.

The Commission, which has jurisdiction over trade matters, has been trying to figure it out, because the answer to the question will determine its response when Trump makes the announcement. But the American president, for whom the European Union (EU) was "formed in order to screw the United States", has so far refused to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Besides, the various cabinet members and advisers hovering around the Oval Office don't necessarily share the same views, so their frequent presence hasn't helped to form a clear understanding.

European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic, for his part, has had access to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, whom he met for the first time in February and saw again in Washington on March 25. This time around, von der Leyen's chief of staff Björn Seibert sought to accompany him in the hope that the trip would help him to better grasp the situation. "The mission to Washington did not lead to a negotiated result within the time frame we had hoped for, but it did [allow us] to strengthen our relations with the new US administration," said the Commission spokesman.

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