The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee today approved the trade agreement between the European Union and the United States on customs tariffs applied to EU exports to the country.
The text — approved by 29 votes in favour, nine against and one abstention — calls for the inclusion of a clause allowing the agreement to be suspended should the White House impose new customs duties on the EU or threaten the territorial integrity of the 27 member states.
With the committee vote passed, the trade deal — which sets tariffs at 15% — may be approved by the full Parliament at its next plenary session in Brussels next week, or in April in Strasbourg, France.
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MEPs also included a further clause stipulating that the agreement shall not be applied before confirmation that all its elements have been fulfilled.
The MEPs’ approval had been on hold since February, with the International Trade Committee citing “lack of clarity and legal certainty” as its justification.
