EPP says von der Leyen not mandated to pledge EU pharma investment in US

MEPs from across the political spectrum have accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of giving in to US pharma interests and overstepping her mandate after striking a trade deal with President Donald Trump.

The Commission announced on Monday that pharmaceutical products will not be subject to tariffs for now, though a maximum rate of 15% could apply depending on the outcome of a US investigation into reliance on EU pharmaceutical imports.

Yet even MEPs from von der Leyen’s own political group, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), remain unconvinced and are demanding answers.

“To be honest, I don’t see how this qualifies as an agreement. For a true agreement, both sides must gain something – here, only one side does,” EPP lawmaker Tomislav Sokol told Euractiv.

He also warned that von der Leyen’s approach could embolden US President Donald Trump, saying it may encourage him “to not stop here.”

His French colleague Laurent Castillo was even more critical, calling the deal “a real capitulation.” “Once again, Brussels is negotiating on its knees and weakening European nations,” he said.

Castillo is calling on the Commission to publish the full annexes related to health products so the European Parliament can conduct an impact assessment.

Greek EPP MEP Dimitris Tsiodras also called for more transparency around “the exact content and implementation of the agreement” and echoed Castillo’s call for a detailed impact analysis.

“The differing statements made by Presidents von der Leyen and Trump regarding the imposition of 15% tariffs on certain medicines – as well as the absence of a concrete timeline – understandably raise questions,” Tsiodras told Euractiv.

Beyond tariffs, the Commission is also facing scrutiny over its €600 billion of proposed EU investments in the US, which were announced as part of the deal.

“I don’t see what these investments are supposed to represent, since the Commission has no mandate to speak on behalf of private companies or to influence their investment decisions,” said Sokol.

Castillo shared this concern, warning that the agreement “raises serious concerns about our health and industrial sovereignty.”

The criticism is not limited to the EPP. Lawmakers from the liberal Renew and socialist S&D groups in the European Parliament also voiced concern.

“It looks unbalanced and doesn’t give the impression that we got what we wanted,” said Renew MEP Stine Bosse, who had hoped for more clarity for the industry, especially given Trump’s mixed signals on pharma in recent months.

Some Socialists have taken a more measured view. Some S&D MEPs noted that a 15% tariff, if imposed, would still be “lower than the 50%” previously floated by the US.

But Greek S&D MEP Nikos Papandreou called the US investment win a political defeat for the EU, even if “economically, it’s better than what it could have been.”