Members of the European Parliament questioned the European Commission on Wednesday over the EU–US tariff framework agreed at the end of August, with Director-General for Trade Sabine Weyand defending the package before the International Trade Committee (INTA).
Weyand told MEPs the United States’ flat 15% tariff on EU goods is not prohibitive and that transatlantic trade continues to flow, urging lawmakers to advance the accompanying EU legislation to remove duties on most US industrial imports.
The framework sets the US tariff on EU-origin goods at the higher of the MFN rate or 15%, while the EU would reduce to zero its tariffs on most US industrial products and some lower-sensitivity farm goods. The Commission has tabled the implementing proposal, beginning the ordinary legislative process in Parliament and the Council.
Key sectoral exceptions remain. US tariffs on EU automobiles stay at 27.5%, a point highlighted in the hearing, while higher measures on metals are outside the scope of the deal and subject to separate discussions. The White House and Commission materials indicate that steel, aluminium and copper are not covered by the 15% flat rate.
Political reaction in the chamber was mixed and often critical. Italy’s Brando Benifei (S&D) said the EU’s preference for stability should not lead to acceptance of an “unfair and asymmetric” relationship. Germany’s Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA) argued the proposal carries “major disadvantages for the EU”, questioning the value of “stability” amid the prospect of further US tariff moves linked to digital regulation.
Views inside the centre-right European People’s Party diverged. Coordinator Jörgen Warborn called the framework a means to reduce uncertainty but said the balance fell short of expectations. French MEP Celine Imart described the package as a “capitulation”, citing tariff-free access for US goods while EU exporters face a 15% US border charge alongside broader European commitments on investment and procurement.
Renew Europe members also voiced concerns. Belgian MEP Benoit Cassart, a farmer, criticised the treatment of US agricultural products, which receive tariff-free or preferential quota access in certain lines. Renew coordinator Marie-Pierre Vedrenne said there was a widespread sense that the EU had placed insufficient leverage on the table during talks.
Bernd Lange, the INTA chair, indicated reservations about the balance of concessions while stopping short of outright opposition. Reporting around the committee suggested support for continued scrutiny and potential adjustments during the legislative phase. SFGATE
For its part, the Commission presented the framework as the most viable option to avert a sharper escalation after earlier US threats to move to 30% tariffs on EU goods. Weyand reiterated that, at 15%, trade is still moving, and that a rules-based understanding with Washington could provide greater predictability than rolling, unilateral measures. The Commission argues that eliminating EU tariffs on a wide set of US industrial products would reduce input costs for manufacturers and contain the risk of abrupt trade shocks.
The legislative file now moves through committee consideration and amendments before a plenary vote; Council approval will also be required for the EU side to implement the tariff reductions. Parliamentary groups signalled they will focus on safeguards for sensitive sectors, quota management for selected agricultural products, and review clauses addressing future US actions tied to digital policy. Any modifications adopted by Parliament would have to be reconciled with the Council and, in practice, with the parameters of the US framework.
EU to fast-track plan to scrap tariffs on US industrial goods to unlock auto relief
