BRUSSELS – European Union parliamentary members decided Monday to delay their scheduled vote on a trade agreement with the United States following President Donald Trump’s implementation of new 15% import tariffs, according to two sources within the parliament.
The delay comes after the Supreme Court overturned Trump’s earlier worldwide tariff policies, prompting the president to establish the blanket import duty as a replacement measure.
European legislators have been reviewing proposals that would eliminate numerous EU import taxes on American products, which represents a central component of the agreement negotiated in Turnberry, Scotland, during late July. The package also includes provisions to maintain duty-free status for American lobster imports, a policy originally established with Trump in 2020.
Both the parliament and EU member nation governments must give their approval for these measures to take effect.
The parliamentary trade committee had originally planned to conduct their vote on Tuesday, but this marks the second time EU legislators have suspended proceedings on this trade deal.
Previously, lawmakers had paused their deliberations in response to Trump’s efforts to purchase Greenland and his warnings of additional tariffs against European nations that rejected his proposal.
Numerous parliament members have expressed concerns that the trade agreement favors the United States unfairly, requiring Europe to reduce most of its import duties while America maintains its comprehensive 15% rate.
Despite these objections, legislators had shown previous willingness to move forward with the deal, though they wanted specific conditions including an 18-month expiration date and protective measures against potential flooding of European markets with American imports.
