European Parliament clears the EU–US tariff deal under Trump's July 4 threat
'A deal is a deal', MEPs approve the Turnberry framework while warning it is unbalanced
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The EU-US tariff framework entered into force on July 1, 2026 as scheduled, six days after the Council of the EU gave final approval on June 25. EU member states' customs authorities began applying the new tariff schedules: zero duties on US industrial goods imports and the 15% ceiling on most EU exports to the US. The 15% rate replaces the 20% country-specific tariff Trump imposed in April 2025. The deal runs to December 31, 2029; a safeguard clause allows the EU to suspend preferential terms if the US does not lift Section 232 metals tariffs by end-2026. ↗
Summary
On 16 June 2026 the European Parliament passed the two texts implementing the EU–US trade framework Ursula Von Der Leyen struck with Donald Trump at Turnberry in 2025: 440–151 on the law eliminating tariffs on US industrial goods and 444–152 on tariff-free lobster imports. The deal caps US tariffs on most EU goods at 15% (down from a threatened 27.5% on cars); MEPs secured a safeguard letting the Commission suspend it if the United States fails to lift steel and aluminium tariffs by end-2026. Trump had threatened to raise car tariffs to 25% by 4 July, the US 250th anniversary, alleging non-compliance, prompting von der Leyen's "a deal is a deal" rebuke. The European Union deal runs to 31 December 2029, even as the USTR proposes forced-labor tariffs on 60 economies, Trump's post-IEEPA tariff vehicle open a new front.
By the numbers
- 440–151 / 444–152, Parliament votes on the two implementing texts.
- 15%, cap on US tariffs for most EU goods (was a threatened 27.5%).
- 4 July 2026, Trump's car-tariff deadline.
- 31 December 2029, deal expiry; end-2026 metals-tariff suspension trigger.
Why it matters
Brussels accepted an asymmetric 15% ceiling to avoid a damaging auto-tariff war, a deal MEPs ratified while openly calling it unfair. With the 301 forced-labor tariffs reopening pressure on the EU, the durability of the truce is already in question.
What to watch
- Whether the US lifts steel/aluminium tariffs before the end-2026 trigger.
- Trump's response now that Parliament has ratified.
- Interaction with the 301 forced-labor tariffs on EU goods.