Response to Trump: European Parliament Suspends Approval of the EU-US Trade Agreement from Last July

The EU responds to Trump: The European Parliament has frozen the approval process of the trade agreement between the EU and the US reached in July last year. The agreement stipulates that the US will impose a 15% tariff on EU products exported to the US, while products exported from the US to the EU will be exempt from tariffs. Freezing the approval process will prevent the agreement from taking effect.

On January 20, Iratxe García Pérez, chair of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, told the media that political forces had reached a "majority consensus" on freezing the approval process of the trade agreement reached with Washington last year.

According to reports, the freeze of the approval process received support from the largest faction in the European Parliament - the European People's Party (PPE, right-wing). However, some far-right forces expressed opposition. For example, Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (ECR) group and a member of the party led by Italian Prime Minister Meloni, said it was "a mistake." In contrast, the "Patriots" group, chaired by Jordan Bardella, an MEP from a far-right background in France, expressed support for "suspending" the agreement.

The European Parliament still needs to conduct a formal vote on this, but given that major political groups have reached an agreement, the outcome is almost certain.

Aside from the European Parliament, the EU is also considering how to strongly retaliate.

EU leaders are expected to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on the evening of the 22nd to discuss the threat posed by the US to Greenland. If Trump does not back down, the EU is considering multiple options to respond, including suspending the trade agreement reached with the US last year, as well as imposing retaliatory tariffs on $93 billion worth of US imports.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854881682553863/

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