EU chief says bloc still prefers negotiated solution to US tariffs and will use time available until August 1
\n Brussels
\nEU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies.
\nUS President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with sweeping 30-percent tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1.
\n\u201cThe United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August,\u201d von der Leyen told journalists.
\n\u201cAt the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we\u2019re fully prepared,\u201d she added.
\nThe European Commission president insisted that the EU has \u201calways been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till August 1.\u201d
\nThe EU\u2019s current suspension of its retaliation over US steel and aluminium tariffs had been set to expire overnight Monday to Tuesday.
\nBrussels has readied duties on US goods worth around 21 billion euros in response to the levies Trump slapped on metal imports earlier this year.
\nBut it announced in April it was holding off on those measures to give space to find a broader trade agreement with the Trump administration.
\n\u201cSince the very beginning, we have worked and now are ready to respond with counter measures. We\u2019ve prepared for this, and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary,\u201d von der Leyen said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EU chief says bloc still prefers negotiated solution to US tariffs and will use time available until August 1 Brussels EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies. US President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-490090","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n