The European Union (EU) will extend the suspension of retaliatory tariffs against the United States, to facilitate the search for an agreement that avoids a global rate of 30%, announced the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this Sunday.

"The United States sent us a letter with measures that will take effect unless a negotiated solution is reached. Therefore, we will also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," he declared.

The suspension of these retaliations to the US tariffs on steel and aluminum expired on Monday night.

EU “has the tools to defend its interests”

European Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas said that the EU has “the tools” to defend itself against the new tariffs announced and pointed in particular to the services that the United States exports.

"The EU has always sought a negotiated solution. But if necessary, it also has the tools to defend its interests," she declared in an interview with the French daily La Tribune Dimanche.

Trump justifies these measures mainly by the EU's trade surplus with the United States, which reached 50 billion euros in 2024, according to figures from the European Council.