The European Union paused its planned retaliatory tariffs against U.S. imports after President Donald Trump granted a 90-day pause on his higher rates for all countries except China.
Under the president’s “reciprocal” tariff plan, which went into effect for roughly 13 hours on Wednesday prior to the pause, the EU would have faced a blanket tariff of 20% on all imports into the United States.
Prior to the pause, the EU announced it was finalizing 25% tariffs on U.S. imports in retaliation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday the planned 25% tariffs would now be paused for 90 days.
We took note of the announcement by President Trump.
We want to give negotiations a chance.
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.
If negotiations are not satisfactory, our…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 10, 2025
“We took note of the announcement by President Trump. We want to give negotiations a chance. 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,” von der Leyen said in an X post.
“If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in. Preparatory work on further countermeasures continues. As I have said before, all options remain on the table,” she added.
In a prior statement, von der Leyen said the EU “remains committed to constructive negotiations” with the U.S. on trade and renewed her proposal for a “zero-for-zero tariff agreement between the European Union and the United States.” She also said the EU would “focus on diversifying its trade partnerships.”
TRUMP PAUSES TARIFFS FOR 90 DAYS ON DOZENS OF COUNTRIES, RAISES RATE ON CHINA TO 125%
With Trump’s pause, tariff rates are 10% across the board, including for imports from the EU. However, he raised the rates to 125% for imports from China. The increased tariff rate for China came after it was the only country to implement retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.
The White House touted the various countries that have reached out to negotiate trade amid the tariffs. The president said the outreach by more than 75 countries to reach new deals was the motivation behind the 90-day pause.
