"We will postpone until August 1. In the meantime, the EU is still preparing retaliatory measures," she stated in a press conference on 13/7. However, von der Leyen affirmed that a "negotiated solution" is preferred.

"Few economies in the world are as open and operate with fair trade practices as the EU," she said.

This latest move from the EU follows a tariff notification from US president Donald Trump on 12/7. The notification stated that starting August 1, goods originating from Europe would be subject to a 30% import tariff upon entering the US, higher than the 20% announced by Trump on 2/4.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters

In addition to negotiations, the EU is drafting retaliatory measures should president Trump impose additional tariffs. On 12/7, von der Leyen said the bloc is "discussing a second list of retaliatory measures" and would seek to diversify trade relations. They recently negotiated a free trade agreement with Indonesia.

Earlier in April, the EU announced a 90-day postponement of its plan to impose retaliatory tariffs on 21 billion euros (25 billion USD) worth of US exports.

The EU is currently a leading trade partner of the US. In 2024, total trade between the US and EU was approximately 1,680 billion euros (1,980 billion USD). The bloc recorded a surplus of 198 billion euros in goods but a deficit of around 148 billion euros in services. This translates to a trade surplus of about 50 billion euros for the bloc compared to the US.

The US president has frequently complained about the unfair trade balance between Washington and Brussels. He believes the EU is taking advantage of the US and has repeatedly described the bloc as "difficult to negotiate with".

Ha Thu (Reuters, CNN)