EU to suspend U.S. tariff retaliation, will look for a deal with Trump by Aug. 1
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″This is now the time for negotiations,″ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday, after President Donald Trump sent a letter announcing new tariffs of 30 per cent on goods from the EU and Mexico starting Aug. 1.
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The EU — America's biggest trading partner and the world's largest trading bloc — had been scheduled to impose ″countermeasures″ starting Monday at midnight Brussels time (6 p.m. EDT; 22:00 GMT). The EU negotiates trade deals on behalf of its 27 member countries.
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Von der Leyen said those countermeasures would be delayed until Aug. 1, and that Trump's letter shows ″that we have until the first of August″ to negotiate.
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″We have always been clear that we prefer a negotiated solution,″ she said. If they can't reach a deal, she said that ″we will continue to prepare countermeasures so we are fully prepared.″
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A 30% tariff on EU exports would hurt businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic.
We will continue working towards an agreement by August 1.
At the same time, we are ready to safeguard EU interests on the basis of proportionate countermeasures.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 12, 2025
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Europe's biggest exports to the U.S. are pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments and wine and spirits.
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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was heading to Washington for talks Monday with the U.S. administration and Congress. In a statement, Tajani's office said that in his talks with EU allies before the meetings, he stressed the need to 'negotiate with one's head held high.'
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The right-wing government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, the only EU leader to attend Trump's inauguration, has sought to position itself as a ' bridge' between Brussels and Washington.
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Trump has said his global tariffs would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades. Trump, in his letter to the EU, said the U.S. trade deficit was a national security threat.
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Trump isn't satisfied with some of the draft agreements on trade, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on ABC News Sunday.
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