The trade chief of the European Parliament has called for suspending the ratification of the trade agreement between European Union and the United States, citing “pure tariff chaos” from the Trump administration that could breach the deal’s foundations. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, announced on Sunday that he would propose halting legislative work on the Turnberry Agreement until a comprehensive legal review and firm commitments from Washington are secured.
The move comes amid escalating uncertainty following a US Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the legal basis for some of President Donald Trump’s previous tariff impositions, prompting the administration to introduce new duties under Section 122 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act. Trump first announced 10% tariff under this law, which he later increased to 15%. This new uniform import duty replaces the ‘liberation day’ tariffs of various rates for various countries.
The Turnberry Agreement, struck in July 2025 at Trump’s golf resort in Scotland, was hailed as a breakthrough to avert a full-scale trade war. Under its terms, the EU agreed to eliminate import duties on a range of US agricultural and industrial products, while the US imposed a 15% tariff on most EU exports, a compromise after Trump initially threatened rates as high as 30%.
The deal requires approval from EU governments and the European Parliament to take effect. It was scheduled to be taken up by the parliament last year, but was postponed after growing tension over Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. Now the EU trade chief has called for further postponing the ratification process.
Lange argued in a series of posts on X that the new US tariffs alter the agreement’s conditions and legal underpinnings. “
“Do the new tariffs based on Section 122 not mean a breach of the deal?” he questioned, adding that no one knows if the US can or will adhere to the original terms.
He posted on X, “Pure customs chaos on the part of the US government. No one can make any sense of it anymore – just open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other US trading partners.”
Reines Zollchaos seitens der US-Regierung. Niemand kann sich mehr einen Reim darauf machen – nur offene Fragen und wachsende Unsicherheit für die EU und andere Handelspartner der USA (1/3)
— Bernd Lange (@berndlange) February 22, 2026
He plans to present the suspension proposal at an emergency meeting of the Parliament’s negotiating team on Monday. He said, “Before further steps can be taken, clarity & legal certainty are required. I will therefore propose to the EP negotiation team tomorrow to suspend the legislative work until we have a comprehensive legal assessment & clear commitments from the US side.”
There has been growing criticism of the lopsided EU-US trade deal in the EU countries, as EU conceded zero tariffs on US imports while agreeing to tariffs on exports to the US. The second postponement of the ratification in months, if Lange’s proposal is accepted, will mean that the deal will not take place for at least a year.
