“I believe that, on the European side, we must continue with the implementation of our part of the agreement. We are a reliable partner, and that is how we have made ourselves known, and that is how it should continue,” Cuerpo told reporters in Brussels when asked whether the EU should take into account recent U.S. attacks on Iran in deciding whether to advance the deal.
The Spanish economy minister urged separating the two issues and stressed the importance of providing “predictability” so that companies know the framework they will face when operating in “a country as important for them as the United States.”
The agreement is awaiting ratification by the European Parliament, which has currently decided to pause the process due to uncertainty generated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that annulled most of the tariffs adopted by the Donald Trump administration in April 2025.
The European Parliament had been scheduled to vote on the agreement in March, but most political groups reversed their support for ratification following the Supreme Court decision and the subsequent move by the U.S. president to impose a global 10% tariff.
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The European Commission, which remains in talks with the United States to clarify how the agreement will be implemented following the court ruling, has nonetheless urged the European Parliament to vote on the text.
European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič said that his U.S. counterpart, Howard Lutnick, has assured him that Washington will comply with its part of the agreement if the EU respects its commitments.
The agreement reached between Brussels and Washington in August set a maximum tariff of 15% on most EU imports into the United States, while the 27 EU member states committed to reducing tariffs on U.S. industrial goods to zero, among other measures.
