The European Parliament has decided to stop work on the European Union’s trade deal with the United States.
The move comes as a protest against US President Donald Trump’s demands to acquire Greenland and his threats to impose tariffs on European countries that oppose his plan.
The EU Parliament had been discussing proposals to reduce or remove many import duties on American goods. These proposals were an important part of the trade agreement reached in Turnberry, Scotland, at the end of July. The deal also included continuing zero import duties on US lobsters, a benefit first agreed with Trump in 2020.
For the agreement to take effect, it must be approved by both the European Parliament and EU member governments.
However, many lawmakers have raised concerns that the deal is unfair. They say the EU would have to cut most of its import duties, while the US would keep a general tariff rate of 15%.
Earlier, some members were ready to accept the deal with conditions, such as limiting it to 18 months and adding safeguards to protect European markets from a sudden rise in US imports. But the recent political tensions have led the Parliament to suspend discussions for now.