European Parliament Approves Unbalanced EU-US Tariff Deal
The European Parliament approved a controversial EU-US tariff deal capping American duties at 15% on European exports, despite criticism the agreement favors Washington over Brussels.
According to Brussels Signal, lawmakers in Strasbourg voted 440 to 151 on June 16 to approve the main regulatory framework implementing the EU-US trade arrangement. A separate measure granting tariff-free access to American lobster and processed lobster products passed by a margin of 444 to 152.
The approval comes just ahead of a July 4 deadline imposed by US President Donald Trump, who had threatened to slap 25 per cent tariffs on European automobiles if the European Union failed to ratify its end of the bargain.
Under the terms of the agreement, Brussels will eliminate all tariffs on US industrial goods while extending preferential market access to a range of American seafood and agricultural products. Washington, in exchange, has committed to capping duties at 15 per cent on nearly all goods exported from the EU.
The deal stems from Trump’s longstanding effort to reduce America’s trade deficit with both the European Union and China as part of his America First economic agenda.
German MEP Condemns Deal as Imbalanced
Bernd Lange, the German Social Democrat who chairs the Parliament’s international trade committee and led the legislative negotiating team, criticised the arrangement as unbalanced and unfair, though he acknowledged that MEPs had managed to secure certain protective mechanisms against future American tariff increases.
The legislation codifies commitments made by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during their meeting at the US president’s Turnberry golf resort in western Scotland in July 2025.
Safeguards and Sunset Provisions Added
To secure parliamentary support, MEPs inserted several protective clauses into the final text. The Commission will be authorised to suspend the agreement if the United States maintains elevated duties on EU steel and aluminium beyond the end of 2026. Additionally, a sunset provision will terminate the deal on December 31, 2029 unless both parties agree to renew it.
Von der Leyen hailed the parliamentary vote as proof of European reliability. She stated on social media that the EU was delivering on its promises and would remove its own tariffs on American industrial imports within days.
European industry groups, particularly export-oriented manufacturers in Germany, generally supported the outcome, citing the value of stable trade rules after months of transatlantic friction.
The legislation now requires formal endorsement by the Council of the European Union before it can take legal effect through publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
With information from Brussels Signal
