The European Union has decided to temporarily halt the approval process for its new trade agreement with the United States. Lawmakers have requested further information from President Donald Trump’s administration regarding its recently announced tariff plan.
According to Bloomberg, the principal political groups within the European Parliament confirmed they will suspend work on ratifying the deal. This decision follows a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which blocked President Trump from invoking emergency powers to impose tariffs on multiple countries worldwide.
The EPP, the largest political group in the European Parliament, will be joined by other major blocs—including the Socialists & Democrats and the liberal Renew group—in backing the delay.
Bernd Lange, head of the Parliament’s trade committee, has called for an urgent session to reassess the EU–U.S. trade agreement. He emphasized that the Parliament should delay further action until there is a clearer understanding of the United States’ new tariff measures.
Following the court ruling, President Trump initially imposed a 10% global tariff, later raising it to 15%. The measure has generated significant uncertainty among U.S. trading partners, including the European Union. Many details remain unclear regarding how these tariffs will be implemented and their impact on trade between the EU and the United States.
The trade agreement was reached last summer between President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to the deal, most EU exports to the U.S. would be subject to a 15% tariff, while the EU would reciprocate by lifting tariffs on American industrial products. However, the U.S. would maintain a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminum.
The European Union accepted this uneven agreement in order to prevent a larger trade dispute with the United States and to preserve strong security cooperation, particularly regarding support for Ukraine. This is not the first time the European Parliament has suspended the approval process.
Lawmakers had previously halted progress after President Trump made remarks about annexing Greenland. The Parliament had initially scheduled to ratify the deal in March, but that timeline has now become uncertain.
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