EU will put tariff retaliation on hold for 90 days to match Trump’s pause

Ursula von der Leyen says EU 'want to give negotiations a chance', by pausing countermeasures for 90 days

Cranes unload containers from a cargo ship at the seaport in Buenaventura on Colombia's Pacific coast, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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.

The bloc was due to launch counter-tariffs on about €21bn 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.