EU-US Trade Deal: EP Ratification Vote Scheduled for Mid-June Ahead of Trump's July 4 Deadline

The European Parliament's International Trade Committee confirmed on May 24 that the full plenary ratification vote on the EU-US trade implementation package — agreed provisionally on May 20 — is scheduled for mid-June 2026, leaving a narrow but achievable margin ahead of President Trump's July 4 deadline. The deal scraps EU tariffs on US industrial goods and caps US tariffs on most EU exports at 15%, with a steel and aluminium safeguard clause. The European Parliament's Trade Committee was briefed on the deal's text and key safeguards by Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič. MEPs from France and the Greens reiterated concerns about insufficient protection for European industry and the precedent set by accepting a deal under US deadline pressure. The EP's Legal Affairs committee is in parallel reviewing the provisional application mechanism, which would allow some elements to take effect before formal ratification. A failure to ratify by July 4 would risk triggering US 25% tariffs on EU automobile exports.