The European Parliament backed legislation intended to implement the European Union’s trade agreement with the United States, while adding conditions designed to protect the bloc if Washington changes course. Lawmakers approved the measures by 417 votes to 154, with 71 abstentions, after months of delay and renewed tension over US tariff policy.
The proposed framework would reduce European Union tariffs on US industrial goods to zero. In return, most EU goods entering the United States would face a 15% tariff, below the 30% rate initially threatened. The agreement also involved commitments for increased European investment and purchases in the United States.
Parliament’s vote did not complete the process. All 27 EU member states still needed to approve the text before implementation, with a concluding vote expected in April or May. The parliamentary decision was therefore a major procedural step, but not the point at which the tariff changes automatically took effect.
Lawmakers strengthened several safeguards before giving their support. One provision would allow the EU to suspend the agreement if the United States imposed tariffs above 15% or introduced new duties on European goods. Another would permit suspension if Washington threatened the territorial sovereignty of the EU.
A separate sunrise clause would delay European tariff reductions until the United States honored its side of the bargain. That included bringing tariffs down to 15% on EU products containing less than 50% steel and aluminum. Parliament also linked zero tariffs for American goods to exemptions for hundreds of European steel- and aluminum-containing products from the United States’ 50% global tariff on those metals.
The legislation included an end date as well. Under its sunset clause, the agreement would expire on March 31, 2028. Together, the opening and closing conditions made Parliament’s support time-limited and dependent on reciprocal implementation.
The framework was originally reached in July 2025 during a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump at Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland. Trump said the EU would increase US investment by $600 billion, including purchases of American military equipment, and spend $750 billion on energy. Von der Leyen said greater purchases of US liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels could reduce reliance on Russian energy.
The parliamentary vote followed uncertainty created by Trump’s threats concerning Greenland and a US Supreme Court ruling that found some American tariffs unlawful. European Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc had received assurances that the United States intended to honor the deal, but added that the EU would remain alert to risks to its interests. Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic called the vote a crucial step.
The economic relationship at stake is the world’s largest bilateral trade partnership. EU figures put combined goods and services exchanged in 2024 above €1.6 trillion, close to one-third of global trade. Goods trade alone totaled about $976 billion, with the United States importing roughly $606 billion from the EU and exporting about $370 billion.
Parliament’s decision preserved the framework while refusing unconditional implementation. The next test moves to member-state approval and then to whether both sides meet the specific tariff commitments that lawmakers wrote into the legislation.
