European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the compromise reached within the EU on implementing the trade agreement concluded with Washington, expressing hope that it will quickly close a turbulent chapter in transatlantic relations.

“This means we will soon fulfill our share of the commitment we have made” to the United States, she wrote on X, calling for the process to be completed as soon as possible. “Together we can ensure a stable, predictable, balanced and mutually beneficial transatlantic trade,” she added.

Representatives of EU member states and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the implementation of the controversial deal with the United States on tariffs.

The Cypriot presidency of the Council of the EU announced in the early hours that negotiators had “reached a provisional agreement on two regulations implementing the EU tariff reductions set out in the EU–US Joint Statement.”

Negotiators, under pressure from recent threats by US President Donald Trump, agreed to remove remaining tariffs on American industrial products and grant better access to the EU market for US seafood and agricultural products.

“To ensure effective implementation of the Joint Statement and protect EU interests, lawmakers agreed to strengthen the main regulation with a robust safeguard mechanism,” the member states said in a statement.

Specifically, the agreement provides that EU tariff concessions can be reversed if the United States violates the deal.

“It has been a turbulent journey, but it was worth it,” said Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee and rapporteur on relations with the United States. “By turning the commitments in the Joint Statement into law, the regulation becomes part of the EU’s toolbox for improving EU–US relations, but also responds to pressure.”

Lange said the economic impact on Europe will be reviewed on December 31, 2029, stressing that if European companies are harmed or new imbalances emerge, an emergency brake mechanism will automatically be triggered.

Trump and von der Leyen reached an agreement on tariffs in August 2025. Both sides agreed on a 15% tariff cap for most EU exports to the US, including cars and automotive parts. In return, the EU committed to removing tariffs on US industrial goods and facilitating access for American agricultural products such as pork and dairy.

Trump has since accused the EU of failing to implement the agreement and announced plans to raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the EU to 25%.

Earlier in May, Trump set a July 4 deadline for the EU to implement the trade deal, warning that tariffs would rise to “much higher levels” if the deadline was not met.

Before the changes take effect, the agreement must still be formally approved by the European Parliament plenary and EU member states, though this is considered largely a formality. The regulations are expected to enter into force no later than July 4.