Belgian MEPs request postponement of vote on trade deal with US
Belgian MEPs Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit) and Johan Van Overtveldt (N-VA) want the vote on the European trade deal with the United States to be postponed. The vote is normally scheduled for Tuesday, but they believe that recent events surrounding trade tariffs in the US have created too much uncertainty.
The trade deal between Europe and the US dates from July last year. It is also known as the Turnberry Deal, after the place in Scotland where the agreement was concluded. It was intended to prevent a trade war following US president Donald Trump's decision to significantly increase tariffs. In the meantime, the US Supreme Court has scrapped those tariffs, to which Trump responded with new tariffs.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament still has to give the green light for the trade deal. According to Kathleen Van Brempt, Trump is creating uncertainty for trading partners and companies around the world. Moreover, it is highly questionable whether the commitments made will remain legally valid. “Without legal certainty, no steps can be taken,” she stated. “It’s difficult for European companies to operate in a context where tariffs and conditions are constantly changing.”
Her Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group will propose on Monday to temporarily suspend the ongoing legislative work in the International Trade Committee and the vote on the Turnberry agreement. “At the very least, there must be clarity about where we stand today, and the current proposals must be adapted to this new reality,” she declared. “But actually, the European Commission should go back to the table and negotiate a new deal.”
Her colleague Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR) also wants to postpone the vote. “No one knows where we stand at the moment. We must first wait and see how the situation in Washington evolves,” he told VRT NWS.
Furthermore, health minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) also expressed his doubts about the deal. “We need to think very carefully about whether we want to implement this agreement,” he said on Sunday on VTM Nieuws. For him, this position is part of a broader resistance that he believes Europe must show against the attacks from the US on our social protection system. He calls on prime minister Bart De Wever to also commit himself within Europe to preserving solidarity-based healthcare.
His call follows the diplomatic clash with US ambassador Bill White. White has also spoken out about social protection in Belgium and how it “needs to be overhauled”, noted Vandenbroucke. According to the minister, White is thus reflecting the policy of the Trump administration – “a direct attack on the way we want to keep medicines affordable”.
#FlandersNewsService | Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt in the European Parliament © PHOTO Alain Rolland / HANSLUCASCOLLECTION