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
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.