Bernd Lange raises concerns over EU-US trade deal

BRUSSELS – Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, voiced serious “doubts” over the EU-US trade deal on Wednesday, warning it risks tilting too far in Washington’s favor and undermining both WTO rules and democratic oversight.

Lange criticized the Commission’s approach, noting that negotiations had proceeded without a formal mandate and with minimal parliamentary input. “Normally we should have a discussion on the mandate for negotiation. I expect that a minimum of democratic participation and control be guaranteed,” he said.

He also rejected the Commission’s argument that the deal provides security and predictability. Citing Washington’s recent extensions of tariffs and its threats of trade restrictions tied to digital regulations, he argued the opposite. “There is no security and predictability. This tariff reduction is only in favour of the U.S., this goes against WTO rules,” he warned, emphasizing the need to safeguard EU interests.

Trade is expected to dominate next week’s plenary session in Strasbourg as well as feature in President von der Leyen’s State of the Union address.Lange stressed that any amendments will follow a deliberate legislative process. “There is no speed-up of anything, we stick to our democratic structure,” he said.

Energy was another sticking point. Lange expressed skepticism over EU commitments to purchase additional U.S. energy, calling the targets “totally unrealistic” given current imports and U.S. supply limitations. 

While acknowledging that Parliament could ultimately block the deal, he said the priority should be  to improve it rather than reject it outright.

Describing the framework as non-binding, Lange suggested that renegotiations would be needed on both sides before a final agreement could be secured.