European Central Bank cuts interest rates for the seventh time as global trade tensions escalate

A giant Euro sculpture iat the headquarters of the European Central Bank. (Kiril Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

FRANKFURT, Germany — The European Central Bank cut interest rates Thursday for the seventh time to counter worries about economic growth fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught.

The bank’s move should support economic activity in the 20 countries that use the euro currency by making credit more affordable for consumers and businesses.

• Latest news & updates on tariffs and the trade war here

ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a post-decision news conference that “the major escalation in global trade tensions and the associated uncertainty will likely lower euro area growth by dampening exports.”

“And it may drag down investment and consumption,” she said.

The bank’s rate-setting council decided at a meeting in Frankfurt to lower its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.25 per cent. The bank has been steadily cutting rates after raising them sharply to combat an outbreak of inflation from 2022 to 2023.

Now that inflation has fallen, growth worries have taken center stage. The economy in the 20 countries that use the euro grew a modest 0.2 per cent in the last three months of 2024. Inflation was 2.2 per cent in March, close to the bank’s target of 2 per cent.

The cut was widely expected by analysts given the sudden shadow cast over the eurozone’s growth outlook by Trump’s April 2 announcement of unexpectedly high tariffs, or import tax, on goods from other countries starting at 10 per cent and ranging as high as 49 per cent. The European Union faces a 20 per cent tariff.

At the bank’s last meeting on March 6, Lagarde had raised the possibility of an upcoming “pause” in the bank’s series of rate cuts. But that option was practically eliminated by Trump’s announcement.

The bank’s benchmark steers rates throughout the economy. Lower interest rates make it less expensive to borrow money and buy goods ranging from homes to new factory equipment. That supports spending, business investment and hiring.

Trump has suspended the tariffs for 90 days, but the possibility of the 20 per cent tariff rate he has proposed for Europe left economists and policymakers concerned that the higher costs will weigh on business activity — and lead to slower growth or even a recession if he carries through. The U.S. is Europe’s largest trade partner with some 4.4 billion euros (US$5 billion) in goods and services crossing the Atlantic every day in both directions.

As the European Commission puts it, “the trans-Atlantic trade relationship is the most important commercial relationship in the world.”

Uncertainty is another factor that could slow the economy since Trump’s pause for negotiations leaves it unclear where the tariff rate will actually settle. Businesses may hold off on making decisions if they don’t know what their costs will be.

Economists at Berenberg bank think that by midyear some of the tariffs will be negotiated away, ending at around 12 per cent. However that is still around 10 percentage points higher than average tariffs before Trump. On top of that comes a separate 25 per cent tariff on autos from all countries which will hit Europe’s prominent auto industry hard.

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David Mchugh, The Associated Press