European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the interim legislative agreement on Wednesday, which aims to eliminate import tariffs on U.S. goods; she also called on legislative partners to quickly advance the follow-up process and complete final approval. After more than five hours of negotiations throughout the night, EU lawmakers recognized the breakthrough progress, saying that this move will most likely enable the EU (Group of 27) to avoid US President Trump's threat that if the agreement is delayed again, it will impose punitive and high-level sanctions on the EU.
Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, 14 May 2026: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) takes her seat during the Charlemagne Prize award ceremony in the town hall. Former European Central Bank President Draghi wins the 2026 Charlemagne Prize.
in the agreementGuarantee mechanismClarity: Brussels has the right to suspend tariff reductions once U.S. imported products cause damage to EU industries.
In addition, the agreement authorizes the European Commission (the EU's executive agency) to suspend preferential tariff treatment if the United States maintains more than 15% tariffs on EU steel and aluminum derivatives before the end of 2026.
The interim deal comes nearly a year after the EU and the United States first finalized a trade framework at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Under the terms of the deal, the EU agreed to lift tariffs on U.S. industrial products, while the Trump administration pledged to cap tariffs on most European goods at 15%.
Von der Leyen said on the social platform
Related background
Trump has repeatedly threatened:
If a trade agreement is not signed before July 4, “higher” tariffs will be imposed on the EU;
It plans to raise EU import tariffs on cars and trucks to 25%, accusing the EU of failing to fulfill the terms of the Turnberry Agreement.
The EU legislative process has been interrupted twice:
In January, Trump threatened to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory;
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the core content of Trump's large-scale policy.
The EU currently expects to complete approval by July 4 as scheduled, and the European Parliament will hold a final vote in mid-June.
"A bumpy road"
Zeljana Zovko, chief negotiator of the US trade agreement in the EU People's Party group, said: This move "avoided a destructive escalation of transatlantic trade tensions and protected European businesses, investments and millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic."
On September 23, 2025, US President Trump and European Commission President von der Leyen held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Bernd Lange, the European Parliament's chief trade negotiator, described the negotiation process as a "bumpy road" but believed that the results were worthy of recognition.
Lange said in a statement: "Incorporating the commitments in the joint statement into law makes this regulation a tool for improving relations between Europe and the United States, while also responding to external pressure."