EU's trade chief sees opportunity for "mini-deal" with the US

The European Union’s Trade Chief Phil Hogan has said he is optimistic about coming to an agreement with the US on a “mini deal” trade deal after Washington opted to hold off on introducing new tariffs on European-made aircraft.
In an interview given to the Financial Times, Hogan said the US decision to delay the tariffs until March 18 “sends a signal that the Americans are willing to give this window of opportunity a chance.”  
The US announced earlier that it will hold off the planned 5% increase in order to focus on signing a revamped and more balanced trade deal with the European Union.
President Donald Trump has in the past threatened the EU with increased tariffs in the aerospace industry as a result of the subsidies that Brussels hands out to the Franco-German aircraft giant Airbus. The White House has already imposed a series of tariffs on European car exports and food items that include cheese, wine, and coffee.
The European Commission has refused to drop its protectionist food safety subsidies, or any of its other regulatory norms, to achieve a short-term deal with the US.
“I want to say very straightforwardly that the European Union is not going to compromise on our food standards, our environmental standards, or our workplace standards. I’ve said this from day one and we continue to repeat the same message,” Hogan said, before adding that US-EU relations are in a “better place” now than they were under the previous Commission and if both sides show “some goodwill”, a significant breakthrough “can happen”.