The European Union has announced a delay in its planned retaliatory measures against the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the U.S. President Trump's administration, now expected to be postponed until mid-April. Previously, the EU had planned to impose tariffs on American products, including whiskey, starting April 1st, with tariffs on whiskey as high as 50%.
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03-26, 2025This move may help to ease trade tensions. The EU stated on Thursday that it would postpone the implementation of tariffs, saying it wanted "more time for discussions" with the United States. At the same time, global leaders are trying to cope with trade threats from the White House, including Trump's promise to announce "reciprocal" tariffs on April 2nd.
Over the past week, leaders from France and Italy, countries with numerous wine exporters that would be affected if Trump implemented his threats, have criticized the EU's escalating response to Trump. The EU initially stated that its tariffs would be implemented in two phases, with the first batch taking effect on April 1st and the second round on April 13th.
EU spokesman Olof Gill stated on Thursday that postponing the first round of tariffs on the United States to April 13th is "a slight adjustment to the timetable and does not diminish the impact of our response." He said that officials plan to consult with EU member states on the U.S. goods to be targeted.
Gill added: "In the meantime, the EU continues to prepare for constructive dialogue with the United States in order to seek solutions that avoid unnecessary damage to both economies." However, he declined to reveal whether the EU had made any progress in discussing the issue after engaging with the Trump administration.
Chris Swonger, president of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, representing American alcohol manufacturers, welcomed the EU's postponement of tariffs. He stated: "This is a very positive development that gives American distillers a glimmer of hope that devastating 50% tariffs on American whiskey can be avoided." He urged both sides to reach an agreement to maintain "zero-for-zero" tariffs on spirits trade.
The White House is preparing to announce a new round of tariffs on countries around the world, and the EU is expected to be one of the major trade partners affected. While it remains unclear how the tariffs will be set, Trump has been talking about tariff plans, saying that their purpose is to target countries whose trade practices harm U.S. exports.
White House officials have made it clear that the EU will be targeted, with Trump earlier this year floating a plan to impose a 25% tariff on all European products. Although the EU's average tariffs are not much higher than those imposed by the United States, the U.S. has long complained about other types of rules, such as rules banning trace amounts of pesticides, which they believe put U.S. products at a disadvantage.
