BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) – The European Union could delay imposition of a first set of counter-measures against the United States over President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs until mid-April, European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Thursday.
The European Commission had proposed re-imposing tariffs on 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) of U.S. products on April 1, followed by hitting a further 18 billion euros of U.S. goods on April 13.
“We are now considering to align the timing of the two sets of EU counter-measures so we can consult with member states on both lists simultaneously, and this would also give us extra time for negotiations with our American partners,” Sefcovic told a hearing at the European Parliament.