Negotiators from European Union countries and the European Parliament have reached an agreement on implementing the controversial tariff deal with the United States.
"A deal is a deal, and the EU honours its commitments," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X on Wednesday, welcoming the agreement.
US President Donald Trump and von der Leyen agreed to place US tariffs on most EU products to 15% in August 2025. In return, the EU committed to scrapping tariffs on US industrial goods and easing market access for US agricultural products such as pork and dairy.
Many legal details remained unspecified at the time, kicking off legislative proceedings in the European Union on how the deal is to be implemented in the bloc.
Under pressure from recent threats by Trump to accelerate the process, EU negotiators agreed to the legal framework of the deal.
EU countries said in a joint statement that a "robust safeguard mechanism" was added to the EU-US trade deal to ensure its effective implementation and to protect the bloc's interests.
This includes provisions for the EU tariff concessions to be suspended if the US violates the agreement, and an expiration date at the end of 2029 unless they are renewed.
The agreed safeguards also allow the European Commission to suspend tariff preferences if Washington fails to reduce tariffs on EU steel and aluminium derivatives to 15% by the end of 2026, the European Parliament said.
Work on the implementation of the EU-US trade deal had been temporarily put on hold by the European Parliament after the US Supreme Court ruled that the legal basis used for many of the tariffs was invalid, and Trump threatened to impose more duties.
"It's been a rocky journey, but it was worth it," said Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's trade committee and a lead negotiator for the agreement.
Earlier in May, Trump has since accused the EU of not adhering to the agreement and announced his intention to raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the EU to 25%.
Trump set a July 4 deadline for the EU to implement the trade deal, warning that tariffs would rise to "much higher levels" if the deadline is not met.
Lange said that the EU did not give in to Trump's pressure but agreed on "good legislation" which "is court-proof."
Before the plans can take effect, the agreement still needs formal approval from the European Parliament's plenary session and EU member states. This is typically considered a formality.
Lange said that the parliament's plenary could vote on June 16 or 17. This would allow the legislation to enter into force no later than July 4.
Von der Leyen urged the European Parliament and capitals to swiftly finalize the approval process.
"Together, we can ensure stable, predictable, balanced, and mutually beneficial trans-Atlantic trade," von der Leyen said.
