U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling could curb Trump's "unlimited, arbitrary tariffs": senior EP official

Writing on X, Lange called the ruling "a positive signal for the rule of law," adding that "even a U.S. president does not operate in a legal vacuum."

BRUSSELS, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on International Trade, said on Friday that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting the use of emergency powers for tariffs could help end an era of "unlimited, arbitrary tariffs" imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize a president to impose sweeping tariffs, dealing a setback to Trump's sweeping tariff strategy built on emergency powers.

Writing on X, Lange called the ruling "a positive signal for the rule of law," adding that "even a U.S. president does not operate in a legal vacuum."

Lange said the implications of the ruling would need to be assessed carefully, adding that he had convened a meeting of the European Parliament's negotiating team on the EU-U.S. trade deal for Monday to evaluate possible consequences for ongoing work, particularly ahead of the committee vote.

The European Parliament's Committee on International Trade is due to vote at its Feb. 23-24 meeting on two legislative proposals linked to implementing EU commitments stemming from the EU-U.S. political agreement reached by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 27, 2025.■