EU Trade Committee Approves US Deal Legislation

European Union lawmakers took a significant step toward ratifying a trade agreement with the United States on Thursday, March 19, 2026, as the European Parliament's international trade committee approved legislation to implement the deal by a vote of 29 to 9, with one abstention. The action, held in Brussels, ends months of delays triggered by threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and legal challenges to American tariff policies, paving the way for reduced EU tariffs on U.S. goods while introducing safeguards to protect European interests.

The agreement, finalized in July 2025 at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump, aims to ease transatlantic trade tensions. Under its terms, the EU would eliminate import duties on most U.S. industrial goods and expand market access for American agricultural products, including maintaining zero tariffs on U.S. lobsters as initially agreed in 2020. In return, the U.S. would cap tariffs on EU exports at 15 percent, sparing sectors like aerospace. However, the deal has been criticized as asymmetric, with the EU bearing most concessions while facing uncertainty over U.S....