After several months of back and forth, the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) finally adopted, on Thursday 19 March, the two regulations relating to the summer 2025 agreement between the EU and the United States, by a large majority of 29 votes in favour, 9 against and one abstention.
Despite opposition from the S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and The Left Groups, the vote will finally take place in next week’s plenary session on Thursday 26 March in Brussels, as requested by the EPP (see EUROPE 13830/16).
The day before, however, the S&D Group felt that holding this vote before the April session would prevent the political groups “from conducting a genuine democratic debate, thereby compromising the outcome”.
MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French) stated that, despite the improvements made, his delegation would be unable to support the agreement in the vote, due to their shattered confidence in US President Donald Trump.
However, Bernd Lange (S&D, German), the rapporteur for these texts and Chair of INTA, welcomed a negotiating mandate that “simultaneously sends an unequivocal message to the US government: no agreement will be reached blindly. Europe remains in control of the situation”.
He referred directly to the European Parliament’s introduction of a new ‘sunrise’ clause, which requires the US to make a binding commitment to comply with the summer agreement and to reduce the remaining tariffs on EU steel and aluminium products to 15% within six months. “Failing that, the tariff preferences granted will be automatically revoked”, he warned.
Furthermore, the criteria for invoking the suspension clause have been tightened to take into account not only new customs duties or increases in existing ones, but also to guard against potential new coercive measures.
Finally, Mr Lange emphasised that the current largely duty-free access for US products to the European market is temporary and will be subject to a review as early as 31 March 2028. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)