Maros Sefcovic, European trade commissioner, has stated that the EU has decided to delay the first phase of its countermeasures to US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to April 13, instead of April 1, according to media reports. The delay is expected to give extra time for the EU- US negotiations and allow consultations with member states on the list which products to include in retaliatory duties.
The consultations will be completed by March 26 and the additional measures will be implemented in mid-April.
Initially, the EU has planned to reinstate its 2018 trade measures targeting US goods worth €2.8 billion and 2020 trade measures targeting US goods worth €3.6 billion starting from April 1, as SteelOrbis previously reported.