The European Union (EU) will postpone the introduction of customs countermeasures against the United States (US), which were announced on March 12, until mid-April, announced European Commission (EC) spokesman Olof Gil.
The decision is a response to the 25 percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on steel and aluminum, Le Figaro reported.
Gil explained that this would give more time for negotiations with the US administration, reports Tanjug.
On the same day that US tariffs on steel and aluminium came into effect, the EU announced in early April proportional tariffs on a range of products imported from the US, such as boats, motorcycles and bourbon, worth €4,5 billion.
Trump's tariffs have prompted the EC to propose reimposing tariffs on US products starting April 1, as well as to impose another set of tariffs worth 13 billion euros from April 18, Reuters reports.
As European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič previously stated, the EU is considering "harmonizing the two sets of countermeasures", which would provide additional time for consultations with member states and negotiations with the US.
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