Kamal Ghorui
The European Union has sought “full clarity” from the United States and urged Washington to honour agreed trade commitments after the US Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, raising fresh uncertainty over trans-Atlantic trade ties, AP reported.The European Commission said the evolving situation risks undermining the framework for “fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial” trade and investment outlined in the EU-US Joint Statement of August 2025, calling for adherence to previously agreed terms.According to AP, the EU’s executive arm stressed that commitments made under the bilateral arrangement must remain intact even as the US administration considers new tariff measures following the court ruling.Trump criticised the judgement and said on Saturday he intends to raise a global tariff to 15 per cent, up from the 10 per cent level announced a day earlier.American and EU officials had sealed a trade deal last year imposing a 15 per cent import tax on 70 per cent of European goods exported to the United States. The European Commission oversees trade policy for all 27 EU member states.A senior EU lawmaker signalled political pushback within Europe, with Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee, saying he would propose pausing the ratification process of the agreement.“Pure tariff chaos on the part of the US administration,” Lange wrote on social media. “No one can make sense of it anymore — only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other US trading partners.”Reaffirming its stance, the European Commission said: “A deal is a deal. As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the US to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”EU officials warned that unpredictable tariff actions risk destabilising global trade flows. “When applied unpredictably, tariffs are inherently disruptive, undermining confidence and stability across global markets and creating further uncertainty across international supply chains,” the commission added.EU-US trade in goods and services was valued at 1.7 trillion euros (USD 2 trillion) in 2024 — roughly 4.6 billion euros a day — according to Eurostat data.Europe’s major exports to the US include pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments, and wine and spirits, while key American exports to the bloc range from professional and scientific services such as payment systems and cloud infrastructure to oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, aerospace products and vehicles.The EU also retains the option of deploying its Anti-Coercion Instrument, a mechanism allowing retaliatory measures against countries exerting economic pressure. Possible actions include restricting trade and investment, excluding firms from EU public tenders, limiting foreign direct investment, or, in extreme cases, curbing access to the bloc’s 450-million-consumer market — potentially inflicting billions of dollars in losses on US companies and the broader American economy.
