European Parliament Approves Tariff Cuts on U.S. Goods Under Trade Deal Implementation

BRUSSELS: The European Parliament on Tuesday approved reductions in import duties on a wide range of U.S. goods, advancing the European Union’s commitment under a previously agreed trade framework with the United States and helping to avert a potential escalation in tariff tensions between the two major economies.

The decision implements key elements of a trade agreement reached last year between U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union, under which the EU agreed to remove tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and grant preferential access to American agricultural products. In return, the United States imposed tariffs of 15% on most EU exports.

The agreement was initially struck during talks held at Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland last July, but the EU had not yet enacted the required legislation nearly 11 months later, prompting continued negotiations and political pressure.

Earlier this year, Trump warned that the United States could introduce “much higher” tariffs if the EU failed to implement its commitments by July 4, increasing urgency within European institutions to finalize the measures.

With Tuesday’s vote, lawmakers have now cleared a key legislative hurdle, aiming to stabilize transatlantic trade relations and prevent a renewed cycle of tariff escalation between the world’s largest trading partners.