Non-tariff trade commitments: US raises pressure on EU to ‘deliver’

Business Recorder reported that Washington wants Brussels to soften statutes making big businesses accountable for the green and social footprint of their worldwide supply networks. US Ambassador Andrew Puzder made the call in a post on X on Friday, saying the 27-nation bloc should honour trade commitments it gave to President Donald Trump at Turnberry, Scotland, in July 2025. According to Puzder the EU had pledged those laws would not hamper transatlantic trade.

The two directives in question, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, require large firms operating in the EU to disclose environmental and social impacts, such as employment conditions along their supply chains. A Commission spokesperson said talks on tariff and non-tariff issues were continuing and that the EU had explained its rules. The spokesperson added that the bloc's rules framework and regulatory autonomy were not open to negotiation. Washington is also pressing the EU to amend its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which charges imports made without meeting EU carbon standards.

The EU already scaled back these rules, limiting the due diligence directive to the largest companies and pushing its compliance deadline to mid-2029. Under the revised reporting directive, companies employing over 1,000 people fall within scope, compared with the earlier threshold of more than 250 staff. A statement issued with the post said the December 2025 Sustainability Omnibus reforms did not fully address US concerns.