Bernd Lange, Chairman of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on International Trade, issued a written statement following developments regarding tariffs in the US.
Lange, reporting that a meeting of political group representatives in the EP's Committee on International Trade was held, stated, "The US Supreme Court's decision of February 20, 2026, regarding the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is clear and unambiguous. The consequences of this decision cannot be ignored. Continuing business as usual is not an option."
Lange stated that a key tool used by the US to negotiate and implement the Turnberry Agreement is no longer available, assessing, "The situation has become more uncertain than ever. This situation contradicts the stability and predictability that we sought to ensure with the Turnberry Agreement."
Reminding that Article 122, proposed as a replacement for IEEPA, will be applied indiscriminately to all countries exporting to the US and will be added to the most-favored-nation rate, Lange stated, "As a result, US imports from the EU will be subject to a rate exceeding the 15 percent threshold. This situation constitutes a clear deviation from the terms of the Turnberry Agreement."
Lange announced that political party representatives in the EP have decided to suspend work on the trade agreement until transparency, stability, and legal clarity are ensured in EU-US trade relations. Indicating that the votes on the EU-US trade agreement planned for the EP committee on February 24 will not take place as a result of the decision, Lange noted that the situation will be re-evaluated next week.
The US Supreme Court had ruled on February 20 that the IEEPA, which formed the basis for tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, did not grant the President the authority to impose tariffs. Following this decision, US President Trump signed a decision that day to impose a 10 percent global customs duty on all countries based on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. On February 21, Trump announced that he would raise the 10 percent global tariff rate on products imported by the US from other countries to 15 percent.
In January, the EP had also suspended the ratification process of the EU-US trade agreement after Trump announced that tariffs would be imposed on some European countries due to their positions on Greenland. On the other hand, negotiations for the trade agreement between the EU and the US concluded in July 2025 at the Turnberry golf course owned by Trump in Scotland. Within the framework of the Turnberry Agreement, EU countries agreed not to impose customs tariffs on US products, and in response, it was announced that the US would impose a 15 percent tariff on EU products.