The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Thursday that the EU will pause its plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States for a period of 90 days. She stated, “We want to give negotiations a chance,” following a similar suspension of tariffs by President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, EU member states nearly unanimously backed the introduction of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in response to existing tariffs on steel and aluminum. On the same day, President Trump declared an immediate 90-day halt on the increased tariffs. However, the European Commission clarified that the American tariffs on cars and certain reciprocal tariffs are still in place.
In light of Trump’s suspension of tariffs, the European Commission decided to delay its own retaliatory tariffs for 90 days. Von der Leyen reiterated, “We have taken note of President Trump’s statement. We want to give negotiations a chance.” Nevertheless, she warned that if negotiations with the U.S. do not yield satisfactory results, the tariffs will be reinstated, emphasizing strong support from member states for this course of action.
Von der Leyen also confirmed that work is ongoing regarding additional tariffs. The goods from the U.S. for which retaliatory tariffs will be suspended for 90 days are intended to respond to American tariffs on steel and aluminum. The EU is also prepared to respond to tariffs on cars and reciprocal tariffs, although only the latter was suspended by Trump.
“All options remain on the table,” von der Leyen asserted.
Earlier in the day, European Commission spokespersons addressed journalists’ inquiries about von der Leyen’s decision, given that the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum remain in effect. Olof Gill, a spokesperson for the Commission, explained that the decision to suspend retaliatory tariffs was made to encourage negotiations with the U.S. despite the ongoing American tariffs. “Currently, we do not intend to take any further steps, as we want to leave room for negotiations,” he said.
He also indicated that there are no scheduled talks with the U.S. regarding trade, but the European Commission intends to continue consulting with EU member states and the European industry.
“We will use this time for reflection, analysis, discussions with our member states, and with our industry to craft the best and most coherent strategy for protecting consumers, industry, and EU countries,” Gill remarked when asked about future initiatives by the European Commission.
Previously, the European Commission had suggested reciprocal zero tariffs on cars and all industrial goods to U.S. authorities.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Trump announced a 90-day suspension of increased tariffs for other countries, maintaining only the original 10 percent tariff. Simultaneously, he stated that tariffs on Chinese goods would be raised to 125 percent.
In retaliation for earlier tariff increases by Washington, Beijing imposed an 84 percent tariff on all products imported from the U.S., in addition to existing tariffs. It remains unclear whether China plans to respond to the increase in U.S. tariffs to 125 percent. (04.11.2025)
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