EU-US Trade Deal Talks Advance as Negotiators Report 'Good Progress'

(MENAFN) European Parliament and EU member state negotiators are edging toward a deal on legislation underpinning the EU-US trade agreement, with Parliament's chief negotiator Bernd Lange signaling meaningful headway following a second round of trilogue talks Wednesday.

Lange said discussions had yielded "good progress," particularly on the thorny issues of safeguard mechanisms and the regulatory review process.

"We have just concluded a constructive second trilogue during which we made good progress on the issue of the safeguard mechanism and the review and evaluation of the main regulation, but there is still some way to go," he said.

He further pledged that negotiators would press ahead "expeditiously and responsibly," ensuring that both the "letter and the spirit" of the Turnberry agreement are honored within the bounds of EU democratic norms and legislative timelines.

A third round of negotiations is set for May 19 in Strasbourg.

The legislative push traces back to the EU-US Turnberry trade agreement, struck July 27, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland, between US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The accord, elaborated in a joint statement published last August, centered on tariff reductions and expanded transatlantic trade cooperation.

To translate the agreement's tariff provisions into law, the Commission tabled two legislative proposals on August 28 — one granting preferential market access for select US goods entering the EU, and a second extending a zero-tariff regime on specific lobster imports.

The European Parliament formally adopted its negotiating mandate with the Council on March 23.

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