STRASBOURG — The European Parliament’s top trade lawmakers on Tuesday agreed a common position on the EU-U.S. trade deal, in a move that will be met with relief both in Washington and in Brussels.

The agreement, struck by the centrist groups in the chamber, comes after weeks of wrangling between European lawmakers over whether to attach new strings to the deal struck by President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last summer.

The meeting broke a weeks-long deadlock over the removal of tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and lobster. It was resolved after the top trade lawmakers ironed out specific safeguards to address the risk that Trump turns hostile again after his threats last month to annex Greenland.

Among difficult items, lawmakers agreed to a clause mandating the European Commission to review the deal six months after its entry into force if the U.S. has not lowered tariffs to a 15 percent baseline level on EU products containing steel, instead of the current 50 percent.

“If the United States is not reducing the tariffs for these products — more than 400 products — in six months, we will re-establish the tariffs for steel and steel relevant products inside the EU, automatically,” said Bernd Lange, a German Social Democrat who chairs the Parliament’s trade committee.

Lawmakers also settled on a sunset clause that would put an effective expiry date of March 2028 on the trade deal — while Trump is still in office — meaning that Washington and Brussels would need to negotiate new terms. 

A suspension clause that would void the deal, should Trump threaten Europe’s territorial integrity again, was already agreed prior to Tuesday’s meeting. 

“Once the agreement is in place, the EU will also have a new tool to respond if we are once again subjected to tariff blackmail,” said Karin Karlsbro of the liberal Renew Group. 

The compromise, backed by the European People’s Party, the Socialists & Democrats, Renew and the Greens, comes after Washington voiced frustration over the slow pace of the EU in making good on its side of the bargain struck at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last July.

“I welcome the Parliament strengthening the Commission proposal to give more tools to the EU side to be able to react in case of US non-compliance,” said Anna Cavazzini, lead lawmaker for the Greens.

“However, the Turnberry deal as such remains unbalanced and includes extremely problematic parts like massive LNG imports or deregulation provisions,” she told POLITICO. 

The trade committee is now expected to vote on the position on Feb. 24. After a plenary vote confirming the agreement, expected in March, EU institutions would enter into negotiations before the bill can become law.

The changes worked into the Parliament’s position set the stage for difficult talks with EU capitals — which in their own deliberations proposed few changes to the European Commission’s proposal. 

Lange predicted that EU countries will agree to a version of the suspension trigger, but the sunset clause and steel provisions may be a bigger pill to swallow, as capitals are keen to avoid angering Washington. 

“I hope that we can find a proper solution,” Lange said.