The European Union says that it will delay its planned tariff countermeasures against the United States for six months, as the two sides continue to work toward finalizing a trade agreement announced in late July. 

The EU's countermeasures were initially scheduled to take effect on July 14, but the day prior, were delayed to August 7. Following the framework trade deal announced by the U.S. and the EU on July 27, the EU has now delayed its countermeasures again, this time to March 2026, CNBC reports. In an August 4 statement, an EU Commission spokesperson said that delaying the countermeasures will give the two sides the time they need to work toward finalizing their trade agreement. The EU's tariffs would impact €93 billion ($109 billion) worth of U.S. goods, including steel, aluminum, cars and car parts, agricultural products, chemicals, plastics, spirits, and an array of industrial products. 

The trade deal will reportedly set U.S. tariffs against most EU goods at 15%, and drop rates to 0% on products such as aircraft parts, semiconductor equipment and some agricultural products. However, since the agreement was announced, the EU and U.S. have cited conflicting details regarding potential exceptions for pharmaceuticals and spirits, demonstrating that certain aspects remain unresolved. The EU has also stressed that at least for the moment, the deal represents a framework political agreement and is not yet legally binding.