Senior EU legislator calls for halt to US trade pact approval, blaming Trump team for ‘total tariff turmoil’

The European Union has called for “full clarity” from the United States and urged its trade partner to uphold its obligations following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of President Trump’s most extensive tariffs.

Trump has criticized the court’s decision and stated on Saturday that he would raise tariffs to 25%, up from the 10% he had declared just a day before.

The European Commission stated that the present circumstances do not support achieving the “fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade and investment relationship that both parties agreed upon, as detailed in the EU-U.S. Joint Statement from August 2025.

Officials from the U.S. and the EU finalized an agreement last year that places a 15% import duty on 70% of European goods sent to the United States. The European Commission manages trade for the bloc’s 27 member nations.

A senior EU legislator announced on Sunday that he will recommend the European Parliament’s negotiating team halt the ratification process for the deal.

“Pure tariff chaos on the part of the U.S. administration,” wrote Bernd Lange, chair of the Parliament’s international trade committee, on social media. “No one can make sense of it anymore — only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other U.S. trading partners.”

According to the EU statistics agency Eurostat, the total value of goods and services traded between the EU and the U.S. reached 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, averaging 4.6 billion euros per day.

“A deal is a deal,” the European Commission said. “As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the U.S. to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”

The primary exports from Europe to the U.S. include pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments, and wine and spirits. Major U.S. exports to the EU bloc consist of professional and scientific services such as payment systems and cloud infrastructure, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, aerospace products, and cars.

“When applied unpredictably, tariffs are inherently disruptive, undermining confidence and stability across global markets and creating further uncertainty across international supply chains,” the commission added.

As a primarily trade-focused bloc, the EU possesses a potent retaliatory instrument — the bloc’s anti-coercion tool. It encompasses a range of measures to block or restrict trade and investment from nations deemed to be exerting undue pressure on EU member states or corporations.

These measures could involve reducing the export and import of goods and services, prohibiting countries or firms from participating in EU public tenders, or restricting foreign direct investment. In its most extreme application, it would effectively block access to the EU’s market of 450 million consumers and cause billions of dollars in losses for U.S. companies and the American economy.