On 27 July 2025, the European Union and the United States concluded a framework agreement marking a first step towards normalising their bilateral trade relationship. During the plenary session of the Benelux Parliament on 28 November 2025 in Luxembourg, Martijn Schippers, Associate Professor of Customs Law, discussed the significance of this agreement, particularly for the Benelux countries.
Threatening US import duties
Following his inauguration as President of the United States, Trump imposed several additional tariffs on imports. During the Rose Garden press conference on 2 April 2025, Trump threatened to introduce further tariffs against several countries. Schippers explains: “There was a threat to impose an additional 20% import duty on European products if the European Union did not remove certain trade barriers on American goods.”
The framework agreement
In the months that followed, the European Union and the United States negotiated a framework agreement aimed at normalising the trade relationship. Schippers notes in this regard: “It is explicitly a framework agreement rather than a full trade agreement. The final document comprises only three pages, whereas a comprehensive trade agreement typically spans thousands. Many details, therefore, still need to be elaborated.” He continues: “The fact that we have not yet reached this level of detail makes the arrangements fragile and creates uncertainty for businesses, leading to postponed investment decisions. It also hampers the timely adaptation of customs systems and the preparation of enforcement tasks by authorities.”
A critical look at the agreement’s impact
At the invitation of the Benelux Parliament, Schippers shared his views on the agreement during the plenary session, with specific attention to its implications for the Benelux. “From the perspectives presented, I expressed my genuine concern that, with regard to tariffs, the agreement appears to mark a departure from the principles of multilateralism, rule-based trade and the rule of law. At the same time, compared to other framework agreements, it is not necessarily a poor one, although questions remain about its durability given the more volatile and rapidly changing trade policy of the United States. Finally, I argued that sector-specific impact analyses are needed to determine what the reduction of duties on American industrial, agricultural and fisheries products to 0% will mean for European industry, and for that of the Benelux in particular.”
At the invitation of the editorial board of the journal Ondernemingsrecht, Schippers is writing an article on recent trade developments in which he will elaborate on his lecture. The article is expected to be published in mid-Q1 2026.
- Associate professor
- Related content
