Adjustment of customs duties with the United States: European Parliament adopts safeguards

In brief

On 26 March 2026, the European Parliament adopted by a show of hands a regulation adjusting customs duties and opening tariff quotas for certain products imported from the United States. This text, amended by MEPs, aims to stabilise trade relations after a series of US tariff increases decided by President Trump in 2025. It includes suspension mechanisms in the event of new US measures deemed contrary to the spirit of the framework agreement concluded in August 2025.

Background

In 2025, the United States imposed additional customs duties on imports from the European Union (EU), reaching up to 50% on steel and aluminium, and 30% on other products. These measures disrupted trade and threatened the European economy, with an estimated decline in EU GDP of 0.2% to 0.8%. In August 2025, the EU and the United States signed a joint declaration for a framework agreement aimed at reciprocal, fair and balanced trade. This regulation implements certain EU commitments under this framework.

What Parliament decided

Parliament approved the European Commission's proposal, but added several amendments to protect the EU's interests. The main changes are:

• Suspension clause: if the United States imposes new customs duties exceeding an overall ceiling of 15% (except for steel and aluminium), or if it uses economic coercion (for example, threats of customs duties to influence EU decisions), the application of the regulation may be suspended.
• Safeguard mechanism: if imports of a product increase by more than 10%, the Commission must investigate to verify whether this causes serious injury to European industry. If so, protective measures may be taken.
• Alignment with security: the tariff advantages granted to the United States are conditional on respect for the EU's security interests. Any US action that would harm these interests may lead to the suspension of the regulation.
• Respect for EU law: the regulation cannot be used to call into question European standards (EU acquis) or the sovereign choices of Member States.

Parliament also insisted that these measures are temporary and exceptional, justified by security reasons under Article XXI of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade).

Result of the vote

The text was adopted by a show of hands, without an individual count of votes. It is therefore a broad approval, without any apparent opposition.

What this means for citizens

This regulation aims to stabilise trade relations with the United States, which can have an impact on the prices and availability of certain imported products. For European consumers, this could mean a smaller increase in prices for American goods (such as certain industrial or agri-food products) thanks to reduced customs duties. For European companies exporting to the United States, the text offers some predictability, but with safeguards to protect European industry in the event of a sudden increase in imports. Finally, Parliament wanted to ensure that the EU retains its ability to react if the United States adopts trade or security measures contrary to the spirit of the agreement.