EU Chief welcomes Trump tarriff pause

The global tariff drama took a surprising turn on Thursday April 10, 2025, as U.S. President Donald Trump hit the brakes on his trade war with a 90-day suspension on most American-imposed duties.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the move but stopped short of confirming whether the European Union would back down from its own planned retaliatory measures.

Recall that Trump, in his post on Wednesday April 9, announced on X (formerly twitter): “I have authorized a 90-day PAUSE.”

The suspension applies to over 75 countries he claimed have refrained from retaliating against Washington’s earlier tariff hikes.

For now, those countries will face a reduced tariff of 10%, instead of the steeper levies previously imposed.

However, the EU’s exact position in the new tariff arrangement remains unknown.

Previously, the 27-nation bloc had been hit with a 20% tariff rate. Now, with the pause in effect, Brussels is still trying to decipher the fine print—and weigh its options.

China, predictably, didn’t make Trump’s good list.

Trump slammed Beijing with a punishing 125% tariff hike on its exports to the U.S., escalating tensions with the world’s second-largest economy.

Von der Leyen, speaking from Brussels, called the pause an important step towards stabilizing the global economy.

But even with that diplomatic nod, the EU is not putting its guns down.

Just a day before Trump’s tariff pause announcement, EU member states had already greenlit retaliatory tariffs on American goods worth $23 billion.

The measures targeting a wide but undisclosed range of U.S. products are set to roll out in phases from April 15, May 15, and December 1.

Labeling Washington’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum as “unjustified and damaging,” the EU had vowed to respond in kind.

So far, that stance remains unchanged.

Despite that, von der Leyen signaled a preference for dialogue, saying Europe would continue to pursue mutually beneficial trade.

She revealed that the EU is now actively expanding trade alliances beyond Washington’s reach.

She added that it focus on countries that represent 87% of global trade and share its ideals of “a free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas.”

As Europe braces for the economic fallout from deepening trade tensions, von der Leyen ended on a note of continental solidarity:

“Together, Europeans will emerge stronger from this crisis.”

But with Washington’s next move uncertain and Beijing already fuming the pause may turn out to be.

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