3 months ago
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The European Parliament decided connected Monday (February 23, 2026) to postpone for a 2nd clip a ballot connected the European Union’s commercialized woody with the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of a caller blanket 15% import tariff.
The EU Assembly has been debating legislative proposals to region galore EU import duties connected U.S. goods, a cardinal portion of the woody struck successful Turnberry, Scotland, past July, as good arsenic to proceed zero duties for U.S. lobsters, initially agreed with Mr. Trump successful 2020. The proposals require support by the Parliament and EU governments.
Parliament’s Trade Committee has present postponed a ballot planned for Tuesday (February 24, 2026). Bernd Lange, the Committee chair, said the caller impermanent U.S. tariff could mean accrued levies for immoderate EU exports, and nary 1 knew what would hap after they expire successful 150 days. EU lawmakers volition reconvene connected March 4 to measure if the United States has clarified the concern and confirmed its committedness to past year’s deal.
This is the 2nd specified suspension by lawmakers, who past period halted their enactment on the woody successful protestation astatine Mr. Trump’s demands to get Greenland. Many lawmakers person complained that the woody itself is lopsided. However, they had appeared consenting to judge it, albeit with conditions, specified arsenic an 18-month sunset clause and measures to respond to imaginable surges of U.S. imports.
The commercialized woody sets a 15% U.S. tariff complaint for astir EU goods, isolated from those covered by different sectoral tariffs specified arsenic connected steel, with zero tariffs connected immoderate products specified arsenic craft and spare parts. The EU committed to region import duties connected galore U.S. goods.
It is not wide whether Mr. Trump’s caller 15% tariff supersedes the deal. If it does, the EU’s zero tariff exemptions could disappear. The caller tariffs could besides be placed connected apical of pre-existing ‘most-favoured-nation’ U.S. duties, which is not the case nether the EU-U.S. deal. So for immoderate cheeses, the caller 15% surcharge could bring the wide tariff to astir 30%.
Mr. Lange said this could mean immoderate 7-8% of EU products facing tariffs supra the rates agreed last year.
