Representatives from the Parliament and the 27 member states are set to come together in the evening at Strasbourg for a new negotiation session, to finalize this trade pact negotiated on behalf of the EU by the European Commission.
Back in early May, they had already tried to find a compromise to implement the agreement but failed, despite the growing impatience of the American president. He threatened Europeans with new tariffs on cars and trucks imported last year if they did not ratify the agreement negotiated last summer at Turnberry, Scotland, giving them until July 4 to comply.
This time, hope seems to be in the air according to several participants in the discussions. However, reaching a compromise is not easy due to the numerous conditions set by the lawmakers. “We have already made significant progress, and I hope we can reach a compromise, integrating new proposals,” declared German MEP Bernd Lange (S & D, left-wing), the influential president of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee, to AFP.
On the other hand, the rotating presidency of the EU Council, held by Cyprus, stated that they are “fully committed to working constructively with the European Parliament to conclude negotiations,” according to a spokesperson. “Our goal remains to quickly implement the agreement between the EU and the United States, fully respecting the legislative procedure,” said the spokesperson to AFP.
“We have no choice”
The EU has committed to eliminating the customs duties applied to most American imports in exchange for capping at 15% the duties imposed by Mr. Trump on European products. However, Parliament has attached its green light to a series of difficult safeguards for member states to accept if they want to avoid another outburst from the White House.
MEPs, notably, have demanded that the abolition of customs duties on American products be conditional on the lifting of Washington’s tariffs on European steel. They also want the agreement to expire in March 2028 and to include strengthened safeguard clauses.
According to Green MEP Anna Cavazzini, “the chances of reaching an agreement are good, but for this to happen, member states must make concessions to Parliament.” “In recent weeks, we have seen multiple times that we cannot trust Trump, hence the need for robust safeguard clauses,” she said.
On the right, there is a call to implement the agreement as soon as possible to not penalize transatlantic trade, on which millions of businesses and jobs depend. “We have no choice. We have wasted too much time,” argued Croatian MEP Zeljana Zovko (EPP).
While MEPs were initially keen to ratify the agreement with the United States, the process has been significantly hindered in recent months by Donald Trump’s interests in Greenland and the legal setback on the tariffs imposed on the Republican billionaire by the American Supreme Court.
