The European Union has paused its countermeasures on unjustified US trade tariffs to allow time and space for EU-US negotiations.

The decision – which puts on hold for up to 90 days the EU's planned countermeasures against US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports - was made in response to the US delaying by 90 days its so-called reciprocal tariffs. In total, the suspended EU countermeasures cover €21 billion of US exports.

As part of the EU's push to find a negotiated outcome with the US, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was in Washington DC to hold meetings with his US counterparts in order to explore the ground for a negotiated solution. According to the Commission, the EU has a €154 billion trade surplus in goods with the US, while the US maintains a €104 billion surplus in services with the EU, resulting in an overall EU trade surplus of three percent from a total €1.5 trillion trade flow. In 2023, the US was the largest partner for EU exports of goods and the second largest partner for EU imports of goods.