The European Union's (EU's) executive arm is preparing to ask the bloc's governments for the green light to start negotiations with the United States on a free-trade deal, highlighting hopes of keeping at bay the threat of American tariffs on foreign cars.

The European Commission said it has begun work on a draft mandate for a trans-Atlantic accord to cut duties on industrial goods. The commission is also drawing up a request for permission to reach an agreement with the U.S. on “conformity assessment,” part of a parallel push for deeper regulatory cooperation.

The moves announced on Wednesday in Brussels came a day after EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom conferred in Washington with U.S. counterpart Robert Lighthizer on enacting a political agreement last July to remove barriers to trans-Atlantic commerce.