The EU Agreed to Meet the Terms of Its Trade Deal With the U.S.—Brussels Will Scrap Tariffs on American Goods

Talks with the American side lasted more than five hours. Representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission took part. The main focus of the discussions was the legislation Brussels must adopt for the agreement to enter into force.

Under the deal, the European Union commits to removing tariffs on American industrial goods. In return, Washington will keep duties on European products at no higher than 15%.

Ratification of the agreement in the EU had been delayed amid worsening relations with Donald Trump’s administration. Among the reasons were the U.S. president’s threats to establish control over Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, as well as a February ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that declared Trump’s global tariffs unlawful.

After the prolonged pause from Brussels, Trump warned in May that the United States would raise tariffs on European goods after July 4 if the European Union failed to fulfill the terms of the agreement. In particular, the president threatened to increase tariffs on cars from the EU from 15% to 25%.