EU chief delays retaliation for US tariffs in search of deal  

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies. 

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with sweeping 30-percent tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1. 

"The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," von der Leyen told journalists.

"At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we're fully prepared," she added.

The European Commission president insisted that the EU has "always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till August 1."

The EU's current suspension of its retaliation over US steel and aluminium tariffs had been set to expire overnight Monday to Tuesday. 

Brussels has readied duties on US goods worth around 21 billion euros in response to the levies Trump slapped on metal imports earlier this year. 

But it announced in April it was holding off on those measures to give space to find a broader trade agreement with the Trump administration. 

"Since the very beginning, we have worked and now are ready to respond with countermeasures. We've prepared for this, and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary," von der Leyen said.

 EU needs to take 'decisive' measures if no 'fair' US tariff deal: Berlin    

The European Union will need to take "decisive" action to counter US tariffs if no "fair" deal is reached with Washington to avert threatened levies, Germany's finance minister said on Sunday.

Lars Klingbeil told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that "serious and solution-oriented negotiations" with the US were still necessary, but added that if they fail, the EU would need "decisive counter-measures to protect jobs and businesses in Europe".

Klingbeil said the tariffs would have "only losers" and "threaten the American economy at least as much as businesses in Europe".

He said that "Europe remains determined and united: we want a fair deal."

"Our hand remains outstretched but we won't accept just anything," Klingbeil said, and added that contingency measures in the case of no deal "must continue to be prepared".