EU plans to halt trade deal with US over Trump’s tariff threats - Bloomberg
The European Parliament has stated that the trade agreement between the European Union and the United States has effectively lost any chance of being implemented, so the ratification process may be halted. This attitude emerged after US President Donald Trump made statements about the possible introduction of tariffs on countries that oppose the purchase of Greenland.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Bloomberg.
Approval of the agreement is not possible
Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest political force in the European Parliament, said on Saturday that approval of a trade agreement with the US is currently impossible.
"The EPP supports the idea of a trade agreement between the EU and the US, but given Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland, its approval is impossible at this stage. Agreements on reducing tariffs on American goods should be put on hold," Weber said.
As Bloomberg notes, the trade agreement that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reached with Trump in the summer of 2025 has already been partially implemented, but still requires final approval by the European Parliament.
What was expected?
The agreement provided for the United States to impose a 15% tariff on most goods from the European Union. In response, Brussels undertook to abolish tariffs on American industrial products and certain categories of agricultural goods. Von der Leyen agreed to these terms in an effort to prevent a large-scale trade confrontation between the parties.
At the same time, an influential group of MEPs criticized the agreement from the outset, calling it one-sided and beneficial to Washington. Dissatisfaction only intensified after the US, despite the agreements reached in July, imposed a 50% tariff on steel, aluminum, and hundreds of other goods from the EU.
The chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange, said that work on implementing the agreement should be suspended until the US withdraws its threats.
In addition, Lange called on the European Union to apply the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) — the EU's most powerful mechanism for responding to economic pressure, which has never been used before. This instrument allows for the introduction of mirror tariffs, additional taxes on technology companies, or restrictions on access to public procurement.
Members of the European Parliament's Trade Committee have already held preliminary consultations and plan to return to the discussion in the near future. Meanwhile, Danish MEP Per Clausen has initiated an appeal to the parliament's leadership demanding that the agreement be suspended, gathering signatures from thirty colleagues under the letter.
Trump imposes new tariffs on Europe
- We would like to remind you that US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of tariffs against several European countries that disagree with his position on Greenland, effective February 1.
- Leaders of the EU and the UK responded to US President Donald Trump's intention to impose tariffs on several European countries because of their position on Greenland.
