BRUSSELS: EU lawmakers on Thursday took a key first step towards implementing a trade deal with the United States, put on hold after the Supreme Court struck down many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The European Parliament’s trade committee voted to cut EU tariffs on some US imports as provided under an August deal that Brussels has vowed to stick by — but attached additional safeguards, lawmakers said.
“The tariff reductions will only take effect once the US has resolved the chaos following the Supreme Court’s ruling,” Green lawmaker Anna Cavazzini said.
The future of the EU-US pact was thrown into question after the court ruled in February that Trump lacks the authority to impose levies under a 1977 law.
Trump responded with fresh duties but that raised complex questions about the implications for the EU deal, which had set tariffs at 15 percent for most EU goods.
The European Parliament, which has a say on implementing the EU side of the accord, pressed pause on the process last month seeking clarifications.
The European Commission, which is in charge of the 27-nation bloc’s trade policy, said the EU would abide by the pact and had received reassurances the United States would do likewise.
EU lawmakers got the ball rolling again Thursday, but added what trade committee head, Bernd Lange, said was a “multi-tiered safety net” to counter future surprises.
“The EU can reverse the tariff reductions if Trump imposes new tariffs” or “threatens our security interests, as in the case of Greenland”, explained Cavazzini.
Trump repeatedly vowed to seize control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, sparking a transatlantic diplomatic crisis earlier this year.
Among other provisions, lawmakers also voted for the EU tariff reduction to automatically lapse in March 2028 and made tariff cuts on steel and aluminium products dependent on similar reductions by the US side.
Before it can be implemented the text still needs to be voted on by the full parliament and negotiated with EU member states.
