A European Parliament committee voted Tuesday to scrap import tariffs on numerous American products, fulfilling last year’s trade agreement with Donald Trump and hoping to prevent another round of transatlantic tariff spats. The 31-to-6 vote with three abstentions backs removing duties on US industrial goods, granting preferential access for American farm and seafood products, and accepting 15 percent tariffs on most European exports.
The underlying deal was struck last July at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Ten months later the EU had still not delivered its side, prompting Trump to warn of much steeper tariffs unless compliance arrives before July 4. The committee also preserved zero tariffs on US lobsters, a concession originally made in 2020. Full parliamentary approval is expected in mid-June, making Tuesday’s result a reliable preview of the outcome.
The annual two-trillion-dollar trade relationship now faces added complications. Trump continues pressing to shrink the more than 200-billion-dollar US goods deficit with the bloc. Lawmakers inserted safeguards allowing the EU to suspend concessions if Trump reneges and to terminate the entire arrangement by late 2029 unless new legislation extends it. The Trump administration has signaled it will examine whether those amendments align with the original terms.
Delays stemmed partly from earlier tariff threats linked to the Greenland dispute and a Supreme Court ruling on global duties. Observers now wonder whether the fragile truce will survive the next round of golf-course negotiations or simply tee up fresh disputes by 2029.
