Egypt Daily News – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday that the European Union will suspend its retaliatory tariffs on American products for 90 days in an effort to “give negotiations a chance.” In a post on the platform X, following a sudden shift in the stance of U.S. President Donald Trump, she said, “We have taken note of President Trump’s decision” to suspend part of the tariffs.
In recent months, the United States had imposed tariffs on the EU three times—first on steel and aluminum, then on cars, and finally a general 20% tariff on all European products.
On Wednesday afternoon, the EU’s 27 member states adopted their first set of retaliatory measures: tariffs on a selection of U.S. goods including motorcycles, soybeans, and poultry, in response to the metal tariffs. Additional countermeasures for the car tariffs and the general 20% tariffs were expected to be introduced early next week.
After triggering a global trade war that shook financial markets, Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of tariffs imposed on dozens of countries and partners, including the European Union, shortly after they took effect on Wednesday morning.
Von der Leyen added, “If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will go into effect.”
