Hours after negotiators finalised the conditions for the controversial EU-US trade deal known as the Turnberry Agreement, the European Parliament's top negotiator, Bernd Lange, has defended both the pace and scope of the pact while cautioning that Europe can never fully relax as long as Donald Trump occupies the White House.
“We had to be really careful,” Lange told Euronews’ Europe Today programme on Wednesday morning. “President Trump really used coercive measures against us. So now we have a safety net.”
Diplomats and MEPs reached a deal late on Tuesday to implement the agreement, which eliminates duties on most US industrial goods imported into Europe. The negotiations concluded two weeks after Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on EU cars if Europeans did not implement the pact—struck by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry, Scotland, last summer—by 4 July.
A Deal with Teeth
The European Parliament had pushed for stronger safeguards to shield the agreement in the event of further unilateral threats from Washington. A so-called “sunset clause”, which would allow the EU to terminate the deal unless renewed, was included for 31 December 2029—11 months after Trump is scheduled to leave office. Lange emphasised that the bloc has additional tools ready.
“We have a lot of suspension clauses and we have also clear regulation that if the United States will not decrease the tariffs for this metal products until the end of the year, then we will lift our tariffs for this project,” he said.
The Turnberry Agreement has been criticised by many MEPs as lopsided: it sets US tariffs on EU goods at 15 percent while slashing duties on US goods entering Europe. Lange acknowledged the imbalance but framed the deal as a necessary compromise.
“This is a package which gives predictability and safety for us, for our consumer and our industry. Therefore, I'm quite happy that we concluded it,” he said.
However, he couched these comments in concern that the EU has “no security” when it comes to the mercurial moods of the Republican president or “turbulences on the other side of the Atlantic”. The bloc will monitor economic consequences inside the European Union starting three months after the legislation comes into force, with suspension clauses ready to be triggered.
Lange’s remarks come amid broader transatlantic tensions. The EU Parliament's approval of the deal was seen as a defensive move to avoid a trade war, but critics warn it leaves European industry vulnerable. An MEP recently warned of a 'perfect storm' for EU jobs if the agreement fails to deliver on its promises.
For now, Lange insists the bloc is prepared. “We have really a safety net and yes, we have safeguards,” he said. But the underlying message is clear: Europe remains on guard, ready to deploy countermeasures if the US disrespects the deal.
