The European Union is extending its previously imposed pause on countermeasures against the United States until the beginning of August. This was announced on Sunday by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
In response to US import tariffs on steel and aluminum, the EU had announced countervailing duties at the beginning of April. These were later suspended for ninety days to accommodate the scaled-back overall import tariffs from the US. The current suspension of EU retaliation was due to expire in the night from Monday to Tuesday.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced import tariffs of 30 percent on goods from the EU, which are scheduled to take effect on August 1. “The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would take effect unless a negotiated solution is reached. Therefore, we will also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until the beginning of August,” said Von der Leyen.
“At the same time, we continue to prepare for countermeasures, so that we are fully prepared,” she added. The President of the European Commission emphasized that the EU has always clearly preferred a “negotiated solution.” “That remains the case and we will use the time we now have until August 1.”
In response to the US steel and aluminum tariffs, Brussels had countervailing duties ready on US products that totaled 21 billion euros. The EU initially introduced the pause to give the negotiations a chance.