The EU said the bloc would hold off on retaliatory tariffs to allow “time” and “space for EU-US negotiations.”
The pause of the European Union’s countermeasures to the tariffs threatened by US President Trump, which was first announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week, takes effect on April 15, according to a statement by the European Commission.
The decision, which puts on hold for up to 90 days the EU’s planned countermeasures against US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports, was made in response to the US delaying by 90 days its so-called reciprocal tariffs.
In total, the suspended EU countermeasures cover €21bn of US exports.
As part of the EU’s push to find a negotiated outcome with the US, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was in Washington DC on April 14 to hold meetings with his US counterparts in order to explore the ground for a negotiated solution.
The EC said that as President von der Leyen made clear in her statement, the EU wants “to give negotiations a chance,” but should talks not prove satisfactory, the EU countermeasures will kick in.
In addition to these now-suspended countermeasures against US tariffs on steel and aluminium, preparatory work on further EU countermeasures continues.
The EU considers US tariffs unjustified and damaging, risking economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy, the EC said.
The European Commission adopted two legal acts on 14 April which, respectively, impose and suspend its countermeasures. The first act imposes the EU countermeasures. The second act suspends all such measures until 14 July 2025.
