Jan 21, 2026, 4:56 p.mJanuary 21, 2026, 5:41 p.m
The European Parliament has formally put work on implementing the customs agreement between the USA and the EU agreed last year on hold.
“With the threat of extra tariffs in connection with Greenland, the US President has finally overstepped his bounds.”said the chairman of the Trade Committee, Bernd Lange (SPD), in Strasbourg.
This threatens to further escalate trade relations between the EU and the United States. The work that has now been stopped should actually mean that industrial goods from the USA can be imported into the EU duty-free in the future. They should also enable improved EU market access for certain seafood and agricultural products.
Bernd Lange.Image: keystone
Customs deal led to reduction in car tariffs
In return for these EU commitments, US President Donald Trump last summer decided not to introduce special tariffs of 30 percent on imports from the EU and also initiated the reduction of car tariffs. The implementation of the promises was initiated by the EU Commission months ago, but implementation requires the consent of Parliament and the member states to the relevant regulations.
US President Donald Trump’s new tariff plans envisage imposing punitive tariffs of ten percent on imports from Germany and seven other European countries from February 1st. The US President wants to break resistance to selling the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, to the United States. The government in Copenhagen has so far ruled out such a deal and is actively supported by several European countries. The tariffs are now intended to affect those who recently sent symbolic soldiers to Greenland. In addition to Denmark and Germany, these included France, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Trade politician Lange: USA undermines stability of relations
SPD trade politician Lange said after a meeting to negotiate a common parliamentary position that Trump had broken the agreement by announcing an additional tariff on European goods if Greenland did not join the United States in June.
By threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of an EU member state and using tariffs as a coercive tool, the US is undermining the stability and predictability of EU-US trade relations, the MEP said.
EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola.Image: keystone
Lange also announced that further steps after Trump’s tariff threats would be discussed in the European Parliament’s Trade Committee next week – such as the use of the instrument against coercive economic measures.
The head of the largest EU parliamentary group, the EPP, Manfred Weber (CSU), had already announced at the weekend that top representatives of political groups were currently against continuing work on implementing the customs agreement. (rbu/sda/dpa)