EU Lawmakers Seek Tweaks to US Trade Deal
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The European Parliament is pressing for changes to a controversial EU-U.S. trade deal reached this summer, raising the risk of fresh tensions just as Brussels seeks to stabilize relations strained under President Donald Trump.
Members of the European Parliament are pushing to insert a sunset clause that would limit the duration of tariff cuts on American industrial goods, and to adjust duties on specific products, according to people familiar with the matter. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, which negotiated the pact in July, relayed the demands to member states this week, the people said.
The deal introduced a 15% tariff on most EU exports to the U.S., while the bloc agreed to eliminate duties on American industrial goods. Nearly all parliamentary groups have criticized the terms as lopsided.
The European Parliament’s push for revisions could delay ratification of the deal and potentially endanger the agreement altogether. The Commission views the deal as being central to resetting ties with the Trump administration and paving the way for broader cooperation on security and energy.
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Meanwhile, talks with Washington remain incomplete as the Commission is still discussing the outstanding elements of a joint statement on the trade agreement. The EU is also seeking reductions on a 50% US tariff applied to European steel and aluminum, and is waiting for the U.S. to cut duties on European cars to 15% from 27.5%, a change expected to apply retroactively from Aug. 1.
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic told lawmakers in Strasbourg this week that the Commission is prepared to work with parliament on improvements. “Constructive solutions can be found,” he said, while cautioning against moves that could undo the accord.
“The agreement could be improved,” he said. “But let’s be reasonable, let’s be responsible and let’s work in a way that we will not unravel the deal.”
Lawmakers and officials said the goal isn’t to block the deal, but to secure modifications before giving their consent.
Members of parliament have also expressed concern about the list of more than 400 products that have been included under the punitive 50% metals tariffs.
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Sefcovic told the parliament plenary that he’s in discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the list of derivative products and is pushing for lower tariffs for wine, beer and spirits.
The lead Socialist MEP in the trade committee, Kathleen Van Brempt, said that although the Parliament’s conditions are not “crystal clear” yet, a sunset clause and measures to safeguard jobs and industries in Europe could be part of the changes it will seek.
“We are going to improve the deal, that’s the leverage we have and we are going to use it,” she told a group of journalists this week.
