Brussels. The European Parliament has suspended work on a trade deal with the United States in protest at U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland and his threats of tariffs against European allies who oppose the plan.
The EU assembly had been debating proposals to remove many import duties on U.S. goods, a key part of an agreement reached in Turnberry, Scotland, last July. The proposals also included continuing zero duties on U.S. lobster, originally agreed with Trump in 2020. Both the parliament and EU governments must approve the deal for it to take effect.
Many lawmakers have criticised the deal as one-sided, noting that while the EU would remove most import duties, the U.S. would maintain a broad 15 percent rate. They had previously been willing to approve the agreement under certain conditions, including an 18-month review clause and measures to address potential surges in U.S. imports.
The trade committee of the European Parliament had been scheduled to vote on January 26–27, but the session has now been postponed.
Bernd Lange, chair of the committee, said at a news conference on Wednesday that Trump’s new tariff threats had effectively broken the Turnberry deal, forcing the agreement to be put on hold until further notice.
Freezing the trade deal risks angering the Trump administration, which could lead to higher U.S. tariffs. Washington has also ruled out any concessions, such as reducing tariffs on spirits or steel, until the deal is finalised.
