Reuters. The European Union will pause its first countermeasures against U.S. tariffs after President Donald Trump temporarily lowered the hefty duties he had just imposed on dozens of countries, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday (April 10).
The bloc was due to launch counter-tariffs on about 21 billion euros ($23.25 billion) of U.S. imports from next Tuesday in response to Trump's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium. It is still assessing how to respond to U.S. car tariffs and the broader 10% levies still in place.
"We want to give negotiations a chance," von der Leyen said on X. "While finalizing the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for 90 days."
Trump's sudden decision on Wednesday (April 9) to pause most of his hefty new duties brought relief to battered global markets and anxious global leaders, even as he ratcheted up a trade war with China.
His turnabout, which came less than 24 hours after steep new tariffs kicked in, followed the most intense episode of financial market volatility since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking in a press briefing on Thursday, EU spokesperson Olof Gill did not provide specific details on what the 90-day suspension of countermeasures would entail but said that the bloc remains open to negotiate with Trump's administration.
"We are satisfied that our strategy from day one has been the right one," he said. "We are ready to make deals, let's talk."
