The European Union (EU) is expected to hold an emergency meeting to consider the proposal to completely suspend the ratification process of the Turnberry Agreement with the US.
This tough move was made after Mr. Bernd Lange, head of the European Parliament's Trade Committee, criticized Washington's latest policies as "pure tariff chaos". This official requested the administration of President Donald Trump to provide comprehensive legal assessments and transparent commitments before the bloc continues to work.
Outrage in the European Parliament erupted strongly after legal upheavals last weekend. As soon as the US Supreme Court overturned the president's emergency tax authority on February 20, Mr. Trump immediately announced a global tax rate of 10%.
Just one day later, he continued to push this tax rate to the ceiling of 15% based on Article 122 of the 1974 Commercial Act. This lightning move created countless unanswered questions and fueled anxiety for major US trading partners.
The Turnberry agreement, which was finalized last summer between Mr. Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stipulates a 15% tariff on most of the bloc's exports to the US. In return, Europe must completely eliminate tariffs on US goods imported into the bloc, while Washington remains determined to maintain a penalty tariff of up to 50% on steel and aluminum products of this continent.
The EU once had to grit its teeth and accept this somewhat inferior agreement in the hope of avoiding a full-scale trade war, while maintaining vital security support from the US for the Ukraine issue. According to the old plan, Parliament is expected to officially ratify the agreement in March.
However, the latest tax orders have fundamentally shaken the foundation of the agreement. In an interview with France Inter radio on February 22, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot publicly expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the agreement and affirmed that Europe will have corresponding retaliatory measures.
On the same day, the European Commission also issued a message requesting Washington to clarify the next steps. The agency emphasized that the US needs to respect the signed commitments, ensuring that European goods do not have to bear any additional tariffs exceeding the agreed ceiling.
In an effort to resolve the crisis, the bloc's Trade Commissioner, Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, conducted an emergency phone call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick. Notably, this is not the first time the parliamentary committee has used this tactic. They once froze the agreement ratification process after Mr. Trump threatened to annex Greenland.
