Brussels, Apr 10 (UNI) The European Union will put on hold for 90 days its first countermeasures against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
The bloc was due to launch counter-tariffs on US imports from next Tuesday in response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium.
“We want to give negotiations a chance,” von der Leyen said on X.
“While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for 90 days.”
European shares surged on Thursday after Trump announced an immediate 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most trading partners, prompting a massive relief rally after days-long market rout, news reports said.
However, the EU chief’s broader message signalled that the EU’s strategic pivot away from US-centric trade would continue.
President Trump’s decision to pause tariffs has come amid growing tensions with trading partners over what the US has described as unfair trade practices. The move is aimed at calming volatile markets and initiating renegotiations with key economic allies.
Trump’s reciprocal tariffs—comprising a 10 percent baseline and a 10 percent retaliatory layer—were imposed on the EU and dozens of other trading partners, spurring stock market losses and fears of a broader recession.
On Wednesday, the White House paused these tariffs for 90 days, excluding China, to facilitate negotiations with partners who had contacted the administration to work out new terms.
The pause came just hours after the European Commission authorised retaliatory measures against the US over separate 25 percent steel and aluminium tariffs, planning to hit a wide range of US exports with new duties starting mid-April
Meanwhile, Beijing’s 84% tax on imports of US goods came into effect – although Trump insisted a “good deal” will be struck between the superpowers.
The move from China came hours after the US President raised its tariffs on imports from Beijing to 125%, while blinking in the face of markets turmoil and announcing a 90-day pause of more punitive levies against dozens of other nations.
