Watch: Brussels vs Washington—inside the high-stakes battle over the EU-US trade deal

Published on 19/05/2026 - 9:00 GMT+2

Last July, Trump and Ursula von der Leyen struck a commercialized woody successful Scotland. The maths looked simple: zero tariffs connected US concern goods against a 15% headdress connected European exports.

It was built to support a narration worthy astir 1.68 trillion euros.

But now, the European Parliament is pushing back. After a US Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs, Washington introduced caller duties connected alloy and aluminium, efficaciously violating the pact earlier signature.

And European lawmakers reason Europe cannot beryllium bullied, truthful they are baking 3 antiaircraft shields into the text. The known arsenic Sunrise Clause stalls the woody until Washington drops those alloy duties.

And determination is besides the “Sunset Clause” which automatically ends the statement successful March 2028, conscionable earlier Trump leaves office. Finally, the “Greenland Clause” allows Brussels to suspend everything if Trump threatens European territorial integrity again.

Predictably, this has divided Brussels. The centre-right EPP wants a speedy woody to debar manufacture chaos, but the Socialists are digging in. And Top negotiator Bernd Lange insists European authorities indispensable not beryllium dictated by threats from Washington.

If negotiators scope a compromise tonight, the substance heads to a plenary ballot successful June. But if the deadlock holds, this monolithic commercialized narration hits a cliff-edge, and that 4 July deadline volition bring a question of American tariffs consecutive to Europe's doorstep.

Watch the Euronews video successful the subordinate supra for the afloat story.