Trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States are increasingly moving beyond the traditional issues of tariffs and market access, becoming part of a broader dispute over security, technology, and Europe’s strategic autonomy. While Polish MEP Robert Biedroń argues that the EU must reduce its dependence on the United States, fellow Polish MEP Anna Bryłka criticizes the European Commission for making excessive concessions to the administration of Donald Trump. For now, however, the European Parliament has suspended work on the trade agreement negotiated in the summer of 2025 following a ruling by the US Supreme Court concerning tariffs.
The European Union and the United States form the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world. In 2024, the value of transatlantic trade in goods and services exceeded €1.68 trillion, while trade in goods alone was worth €867 billion. The EU recorded a total trade surplus of €50 billion with the United States, driven by a large surplus in goods and a deficit in services.
According to Robert Biedroń, a Member of the European Parliament representing the New Left, the EU must now rebuild its autonomy in many areas because it can no longer fully rely on its traditional partner, the United States under Donald Trump’s administration.
“Today the European Union must regain autonomy in many fields, because it is becoming clear that it cannot fully depend on its traditional partner, the United States under Donald Trump’s administration,” Biedroń told the Newseria Biznes news agency. “Although we have centuries of cooperation with the United States, the increasingly assertive and transactional nature of US policy—not only toward the EU but toward many other countries—means that these negotiations are more difficult and more assertive than in the past. I believe that is a positive development.”
In his view, tensions in EU–US relations now extend far beyond tariff disputes. They also concern security issues, Europe’s geopolitical position, and the continent’s resilience to political and economic pressure. This reflects a broader debate within Europe about how to reduce dependence on a partner that remains economically crucial but is becoming politically more difficult.
Biedroń also argues that European autonomy should extend beyond defense and industry to include technology and digital services.
“It is clear that dependence on the United States in many areas leads to recurring crises—sometimes smaller, sometimes larger—and Europe ultimately pays the price,” he said. “Therefore, it is in the interest of Europeans, including Poles, to become independent wherever possible. The fact that the European Union has not managed to develop its own major social media platform is, in my opinion, a serious mistake. Today the dominance of US and Chinese platforms provides a channel for disinformation about the European Union and contributes to weakening it.”
Anna Bryłka of the Confederation party presents a different perspective. In her view, the problem is not the need for negotiations with the United States, but rather the way the European Commission conducted them with the Trump administration. She argues that Brussels allowed the creation of an agreement that is asymmetric and difficult to defend from the standpoint of European interests.
“The situation is very complicated because President Donald Trump regularly pressures Europe and the European Union with new tariff threats or proposals for new tariff rates,” Bryłka said. “The agreement negotiated between Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump in July is now under consideration in the European Parliament.”
After the political agreement was reached on 27 July 2025 between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump, work began on implementing the deal. These efforts were temporarily suspended during a period of political tensions surrounding Greenland and were resumed at the beginning of February 2026. A vote on the broader EU–US trade framework was initially scheduled to take place in the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade on 24–25 February and later during the March plenary session.
However, that timetable was ultimately abandoned. On 23 February 2026, the European Parliament suspended proceedings on two legislative proposals related to the tariff elements of the agreement. The reason was a ruling issued by the US Supreme Court on 20 February that questioned the legal basis of certain American tariff measures. According to the European Parliament, the Committee on International Trade concluded that work on the implementing legislation should be paused until greater legal clarity, stability, and certainty are restored in EU–US trade relations.
Bryłka emphasizes that the European Union should remain assertive and avoid committing to obligations that it may later struggle to fulfill.
“Our position on this agreement is clearly critical,” she said. “We believe that the European Commission approached these negotiations very poorly. It negotiated a highly asymmetric agreement with the United States. On the one hand, the EU accepted a zero tariff on imports of all industrial goods from the United States, while on the other hand agreeing to a 15 percent tariff on all goods exported to the US. In addition, the EU committed to European investments in the United States, purchases of hydrocarbons, and defense equipment. These obligations may be difficult to implement, yet the US administration will expect Europe to deliver on them.”
She added that Europe should remain cautious but also maintain a firm negotiating position. “We should not abandon our assertiveness or make concessions in every area,” Bryłka said.
Poland views relations with the United States somewhat differently from many other EU member states. According to data from Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS), the United States accounted for 3.2 percent of Polish exports and 4.8 percent of imports in 2025. Polish exports to the US fell to PLN 49.1 billion, while imports reached PLN 75.1 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of PLN 26 billion.
Bryłka notes that this makes Poland’s position distinct within the EU.
“While the United States has a trade deficit with the European Union as a whole, Poland actually imports more from the US than it exports there,” she said. “Our position is therefore the opposite of that of most EU member states. We also view the United States primarily as our most important security ally, we are making large-scale defense purchases there, and therefore our negotiating position is somewhat different.”
