EU–US trade agreement moves forward as safety groups urge vigilance on vehicle standards

A tentative trade deal between the European Union and the United States was reached over the weekend, reportedly averting threatened 30% tariffs and agreeing instead to duties of around 15% on EU goods. While the final text has yet to be published, no reports so far suggest that the EU’s vehicle safety standards have been compromised as part of the negotiations.

Last week, ETSC and eight other organisations issued a joint statement warning against a repeat of the recent U.S.-Japan trade agreement, which reportedly allows American vehicles to enter Japan without meeting Japanese crash-testing or safety requirements. The coalition urged EU negotiators to reject any mutual recognition of U.S. vehicle safety standards, which are widely considered less stringent than the EU’s General Safety Regulation for new vehicles.

In response to concerns raised in March, the European Commission confirmed in May that EU safety and environmental standards “are not up for negotiation.” In a formal letter to ETSC and fellow organisations, the Commission stated that any discussions with the U.S. would be limited to “administrative easing of conformity assessment procedures,” such as the partial recognition of test results where safety and emissions requirements are identical.

Nevertheless, the safety coalition has stressed the importance of continued scrutiny. The latest joint statement, published ahead of the weekend’s agreement, reiterates that only full compliance with the EU’s type-approval process can guarantee vehicle safety on European roads.

Although no watering down of standards has been identified in the aspects of the trade deal revealed so far, ETSC and its partners caution that details matter. The final terms of the EU–US trade agreement are expected to be released in the coming weeks.