Trump tariffs: EU pauses countermeasures until July
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The European Commission said it would hold off on retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth €21 billion until July 14 “to allow time and space for EU-US negotiations.”
The EU’s pause will “take legal effect” on Tuesday, the European Commission said in a press statement.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would suspend the countermeasures last week, and Monday’s announcement makes it official.
The measures had been in response to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports announced in February.
Trump also slapped a 20% universal tariff on EU goods, as part of his sweeping “reciprocal” tariff announcement on April 2.
The EU has not yet announced countermeasures to that planned tariff regime, and has said it prefers to avoid retaliation.
On April 9, hours after the universal tariffs went into effect, Trump said the levies for most countries would be paused for 90 days. This included all universal tariffs impacting the EU.
EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic is in Washington Monday for talks with US counterparts to take steps towards hammering out an agreement before the 90 days expire.
“The EU considers US tariffs unjustified and damaging, risking economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy,” the commission said.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic traveled to Washington DC on Monday for talks with US counterparts in hopes of avoiding disaster in President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again trade war.
The EU has prepared responses to the original tariff threats leveled by Trump but said it would pause these after Trump backed off his maximalist global tariff threat.
Now, the EU has announced that a 90-day pause will officially go into effect on Tuesday.
The European Commission has said, “The EU considers US tariffs unjustified and damaging, risking economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy.”
Sefcovic’s mission is to reach an agreement before the 90 days are up. He said the EU remains “constructive, and ready for a fair deal — including reciprocity through our zero-for-zero tariff offer on industrial goods and the work on non-tariff barriers.”
“Acheiving this,” said the EU commissioner, “will require a significant joint effort.”
