The European Commission has firmly rejected calls from the United States to ease or roll back its environmental legislation, asserting that EU regulatory authority is non-negotiable.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Commission deputy spokesperson Olof Gill made the EU’s stance clear:
“Our laws, our European regulatory authority, are not up for discussion.”
The statement came after Washington sent a formal request to the European Commission, asking for American companies to be exempt from the EU’s recently adopted Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) — a law that obliges companies to monitor their global supply chains for environmental violations and labor abuses.
An EU official confirmed to Euronews that the request was received earlier this week, signaling renewed tension between Brussels and Washington over trade and regulatory sovereignty.
US Pushback and Business Lobby Pressure
The US Chamber of Commerce, the largest American business lobby, also weighed in on Wednesday, publishing a document urging the EU to reverse the “extraterritorial” elements of the directive. The group argued that the CSDDD could act as a “de facto non-tariff barrier”, forcing non-EU exporters to meet standards they had no role in shaping.
The ‘Turnberry Agreement’ and Renewed Trade Friction
The latest US pressure comes despite efforts to ease transatlantic tensions following the “Turnberry Agreement”, a trade deal signed in July aimed at stabilizing relations. Under the deal, the EU agreed to pay a 15% tariff on its exports to the United States, while both sides pledged to improve dialogue on contentious trade issues.
However, one clause in the agreement specifically mentioned the CSDDD, with the EU committing to “work to address US concerns” about its impact on non-EU companies.
“The Turnberry agreement was only a phase of temporary stabilization,” said Elvire Fabry, a trade expert at the Jacques Delors Institute.
“It’s no surprise that Trump is coming back to challenge these irritants. At least there’s a channel for dialogue — but he won’t hesitate to use coercion if necessary, and Europe will need to decide where its red line lies.”
The Road Ahead
While the European Commission insists it is focused on implementing the Turnberry agreement, questions remain about how rigidly Brussels will enforce its sustainability laws.
Both sides are also negotiating on steel tariffs, currently set at 50%, and the EU hopes to secure exemptions from US tariffs on wine and spirits, particularly for France, Spain, and Italy.
For now, the EU’s message is clear: when it comes to environmental and corporate accountability, Europe won’t be dictated to — not even by Washington.
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