EU halts countermeasures after Trump's tariff pause

The European Union will pause its first countermeasures against US tariffs after President Donald Trump temporarily lowered the hefty duties less than a day after imposing them on dozens of countries, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

- REUTERS 10 April

The Trump administration is weighing offers from more than a dozen countries on tariff deals and is close to reaching agreements with some of them, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said.

"USTR has informed us that there are maybe 15 countries now that have made explicit offers that we're studying and considering and deciding whether they're good enough to present the president," Hassett told reporters at the White House, referring to the US trade representative.

Principals in the administration's trade policy will meet at the White House on Thursday to discuss how to prioritize the separate negotiations, Hassett said.

The EU was due to launch counter-tariffs on about $23.25 billion of US imports next Tuesday in response to Trump's 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. It is still assessing how to respond to US car tariffs and the broader 10 per cent levies that remain in place.