Brussels - The European Parliament on Tuesday approved legislation to remove import duties on many U.S. industrial products and to grant preferential access to U.S. farm goods, implementing the European Union's side of a trade arrangement agreed last year. The vote clears the last major parliamentary obstacle to carrying out the Turnberry framework and is intended to head off a fresh round of tariffs between the two largest trading partners.
The framework was negotiated last July at Turnberry, Scotland, where U.S. President Donald Trump and EU leaders agreed that the EU would eliminate certain duties on U.S. industrial imports and provide better access for U.S. agricultural exports. In exchange, the United States agreed to apply a broadly defined 15% tariff on most EU goods under the terms of that deal.
Until this parliamentary action, the EU had not enacted the legislation necessary to put its commitments into law, nearly 11 months after the framework was announced. President Trump had warned that he would impose "much higher" tariffs if the EU failed to act by July 4. With the European Parliament vote - 440 in favor and 151 against - the EU is set to meet that internal deadline.
The parliamentary package also extends a duty-free arrangement for U.S. lobster imports, a separate concession originally struck with President Trump during his first term. Lawmakers and officials described the vote as the last significant hurdle for the EU side of the Turnberry commitments.
On the U.S. side, the administration must establish the broad 15% tariffs on EU goods. Those tariffs were effectively at that level until February, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the former global tariffs. The Trump administration intends to recreate the Turnberry tariff schedule by July 24, when an interim 10% tariff regime is due to expire.
Tuesday's parliamentary approval is likely to prevent the immediate implementation of the July 4 tariff threat, yet the outcome leaves important uncertainties. As recently as Monday, President Trump said he would impose 100% tariffs on French wine unless France dropped its digital sales tax, illustrating continuing volatility in U.S. tariff rhetoric.
The EU legislation adopted by parliament has a sunset date at the end of 2029 and contains multiple safeguard mechanisms. Those mechanisms would permit the EU to suspend concessions if the United States breaches the Turnberry terms. The text also requires the EU to prepare a response if Washington does not bring tariffs above 15% on certain metal derivative products - examples cited include washing machines and cutlery - down to 15% or lower by the end of the year.
Summary
The European Parliament has approved legislation to cut duties on U.S. industrial imports and to provide preferential access for U.S. farm products, in line with last July's Turnberry agreement. The vote was 440 to 151. The U.S. must enact matching 15% tariffs by July 24 for the full deal to be implemented, and the EU law includes safeguards and an expiry at the end of 2029.
Key sectors affected
- Industrial goods - subject to the EU duty removals.
- Agriculture and food exports - beneficiaries of preferential access.
- Metal derivative products and consumer appliances - mentioned specifically in relation to tariff adjustments and potential EU responses.