The European Parliament’s Trade Committee has scrapped last summer’s controversial trade deal with the US, with a final plenary vote now expected next week.
Mass – part of The Turnberry Agreement. stuck on Donald Trump’s Scottish golf course – removes tariffs on hundreds of US agricultural and industrial goods. But the vote came after months of hesitation in Parliament, fueled by fresh tariff threats from Washington that lawmakers say violate the spirit of the deal.
“Let’s stand together,” reporter Bernd Lange said after the vote, calling for political unity against the US.
MPs supported all the last amendments of the compromise, tightening it CONDiTiONs for tariff suspensions: time-bound until March 2028, conditional on US surrender and reversible if Washington exerts economic pressure or undermines the EU’s territorial integrity.
Safeguards are also included. The commission will be able to intervene if US imports increase, with investigations triggered when volumes increase by more than 10% year-on-year. An impact assessment is also foreseen, reflecting concerns about the potential impact on sensitive EU sectors.
“In a time of uncertainty, we must provide clarity and stability,” said MEP Željana Zovko, the EPP lawmaker responsible for trade relations with the United States. “This deal comes at the last minute to avoid a trade war. We need to move quickly to a final vote next week.”
MEPs also voted in favor of extending the so-called lobster dealagreed to during the first Trump administration, allowing duty-free imports of lobster from the US.
The plenary vote is expected to take place on March 26 in Brussels. After Parliament finalizes its position in plenary, MEPs will begin negotiations with the Council for a final agreement.
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