The European Parliament has postponed, for the second time, a planned vote on the European Union’s trade deal with the United States after US President Donald Trump imposed a new 15% import tariff on foreign goods.
The decision adds new uncertainty to an agreement reached last July in Turnberry, Scotland.
That deal aimed to ease trade tensions by setting a 15% US tariff on most EU goods while allowing zero tariffs on selected products such as aircraft and spare parts.
In return, the EU pledged to remove many of its own import duties on American goods and to keep zero tariffs on US lobsters, first agreed in 2020.
MPs had prepared to vote on the legal steps required to implement the deal. Instead, the trade committee chose to delay the process. Its chair, Bernd Lange, said the new US tariff raises serious questions.
He noted that the measure is temporary and set to last 150 days, yet Washington has not made clear what will happen after that period.
Lawmakers plan to review the situation again on March 4. They want assurances that the US still stands by last year’s agreement.
This marks the second pause in recent weeks. Last month, Parliament suspended work on the deal after Trump called for the US to acquire Greenland, a demand that angered many European officials.
An uneven agreement
Even before the new tariff, some lawmakers described the agreement as uneven. Many accepted it as a compromise but sought safeguards, such as a time limit and tools to respond if US exports flood the European market.
The latest US decision could change the entire balance of the deal. If the new 15% tariff replaces the agreed framework, products that were meant to benefit from zero duties could lose that advantage.
There is also concern that the new tariff could add to existing US “most-favoured-nation” duties. In some cases, such as certain cheeses, the total tariff could approach 30%.
Lange warned that up to 8% of EU exports may face higher tariffs than those negotiated last year. For many in Brussels, the delay reflects more than a technical issue. It shows doubt about the stability of trade ties at a time when political trust between both sides remains fragile.
