It comes after Trump imposed new tariffs of 15% in response to a US Supreme Court ruling last week that struck down many of his previous tariffs around the world.
The European Parliament’s trade committee plans to vote Tuesday to lift import tariffs on US industrial goods – a key part of the EU-US trade deal. But that vote has now been postponed.
European Commission spokesman Olof Gill said Brussels could not take further decisions until it got clarity from Washington.
“We expect our American counterparts to tell us clearly what is going on,” Gil told reporters in Brussels.
What is the EU-US trade agreement?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal with Trump in July last year for a maximum tariff of 15% on most European imports to the US. Brussels also agreed to remove several EU import tariffs on US goods.
A legally binding deal must be approved by the European Parliament and EU governments.
The latest 15% tariffs announced by Trump go into effect Tuesday. They can only last 150 days unless Congress extends them.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, said the EU could potentially face higher tariffs on some products as a result of the new US duties, despite the 15% limit agreed under the EU-US agreement.
“We want clarity from the United States that they are honoring the agreement,” Lange said.
EU lawmakers are expected to gather on March 4 to assess whether Washington has clarified the position.
This is not the first time that the approval process has been delayed. EU lawmakers also blocked the process last month after Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on European allies who opposed his goal of annexing the Danish territory of Greenland.
What did Germany say?
German government spokesman Stephan Cornelius said Berlin was coordinating closely with its European partners to find out what kind of US tariffs to expect in the future.
“We also hope that the US side will soon come up with a clear policy that will enable us to respond,” the spokesperson said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to Washington this week to present a “coordinated European position” on Trump’s tariffs.
“If we want to contribute to the stability of our relations and, at least, industry on both sides of the Atlantic favor, so we must end these uncertainties as soon as possible,” Merz said at an event in Berlin on Monday.
He also expressed the possibility of using The EU’s “trade bazooka”, a tool whereby the bloc’s market access can be restricted as a “last resort” Trade dispute with America.
“I am confident that we will find a way to resolve these trade disputes without resorting to this instrument,” Merz said. “But if it’s necessary, it’s necessary, and I would be the last person to say ‘no’.”
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah
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