The EU trade chief called on MEPs to support the bloc’s agreement with the US on Wednesday, warning that failure to ratify the deal would risk reigniting a full-blown trade war with Washington.
Speaking in Strasbourg, Maroš Šefčovič said EU lawmakers should make the “politically responsible” decision to endorse the proposal to slash tariffs on American industrial and agricultural exports, as outlined in July’s framework agreement with the US.
The deal, which leaves most EU exporters facing a 15% US levy, has elicited fierce criticism from across the political spectrum. MEPs have pointed to the deal’s asymmetrical nature and legally unenforceable commitments to purchase hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American energy and weapons.
“We… stand at a crucial democratic moment,” Šefčovič said. “We now need… to take the necessary steps to move our relationship with the US forward.”
But Bernd Lange, chair of Parliament’s trade committee, denounced the deal as a form of “blackmail” that exploited the EU’s security dependence on Washington, suggesting it should be “amended” to comply with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
Under the WTO’s “Most-favoured-nation (MFN)” rules, countries cannot typically offer other nations preferential trade terms unless they are extended to all other trading partners.
Lange’s remarks were broadly echoed by lawmakers from left-wing, centrist, and right-wing groups. Even those prepared to back the agreement admitted doing so with reluctance.
“I don’t particularly like the outcome of this deal, but I think the most responsible thing to do at this moment is to go through with the deal and then continue to negotiate,” said Jörgen Warborn, a Swedish lawmaker who hails from Ursula von der Leyen’s own centre-right European People’s Party.
In his closing remarks, a visibly angry Šefčovič took to the lectern once again to defend the deal, arguing that its “harsh” terms are nevertheless better than those achieved by other US trading partners.
“I was just trying to imagine what our debate would look like if we were in a full trade war,” Šefčovič said. “I am sure I would not get any praise from you for hundreds of jobs lost, billions of euros of investment disappeared, and thousands of SMEs gone bust.”
“We got the best deal in the world with the US,” he added. “Ask the countries that got the agreement with the US, and ask those that didn’t, if they wouldn’t trade places with us. And show me one who wouldn’t. Show me one who wouldn’t!”
In an apparent swipe at the Commission’s Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand – who claimed last month that no genuine negotiations with Washington took place before the deal was agreed – Šefčovič said he personally had held “hundreds of hours of negotiations” with his US counterparts.
“Only the person who was not in the room can say something like that,” he said. “If somebody says there was no negotiation, that’s simply not true.”
Šefčovič’s comments come amid an aggressive push by Brussels in recent months to soften the impact of US and Chinese protectionism by deepening economic ties with other trading partners.
Last week, the Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, unveiled its final texts for the trade deals with Mexico and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries, which includes Brazil and Argentina.
The agreements, like the proposal to slash levies on US industrial and agricultural products, must be approved by the Parliament and a qualified majority of the 27 EU countries.
Šefčovič said he would travel to Indonesia later this month to finalise a free trade agreement. He also reiterated the EU executive’s plans to clinch a deal with India before the end of 2025.
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