Tariffs Update: EU Pauses Countermeasures Against US Goods to Allow Time for Negotiations
Tariffs on peanut butter and dried cranberries are suspended until July 14; tariffs on almonds take effect December 1
As announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week, the EU has officially paused its planned countermeasures against US goods to allow time for negotiations.
On April 14, 2025, the European Commission adopted two implementing acts —one that adopts the EU countermeasures, and another that immediately suspends them for 90 days.
Specifically, the first implementing act (Commission Regulating Regulation (EU) 2025/778) introduces rebalancing measures in response to Trump’s 25% tariff on European steel and aluminum, which came into effect on March 12. Under this regulation, an additional 25% duty on US almonds (CN codes 08021110, 08021190, 08021210, and 08021290) is set to take effect on December 1. Moreover, it consolidates under Annex I the original countermeasures approved in 2018 in the context of the steel and aluminum dispute —including a 25% duty on US peanut butter (CN code 20081110) and on US dried cranberries (CN codes 20089391, 20089393, and 20089399)— and sets an application date of April 15. However, the second implementing act (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/786) suspends the application of the aforementioned measures until July 14, 2025.
In a press release, the European Commission said that the decision to pause the EU countermeasures was made in response to the US decision to delay by 90 days its country-specific tariffs announced on April 2. The Commission reiterated its preference for reaching a negotiated solution with the US, adding that the EU countermeasures will kick in if talks with the US prove unsatisfactory. In the meantime, the EU will continue preparatory work on further countermeasures.
In other tariff news, the escalatory tit-for-tat between the US and China, documented in the INC’s last tariffs update, continued late last week with China raising its tariff rate on US goods to 125%. China’s announcement followed Donald Trump’s move to increase tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% while simultaneously announcing a 90-day pause on country-specific tariffs affecting dozens of other nations.
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On March 31, 2025, China and Zambia signed an agreement on the export of macadamia nuts to the Asian country. During the signing ceremony, the Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Zambia said that the agreement signifies a major step in opening up the Chinese market to Zambian nuts.
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