News blog about US politics
EU wants to suspend trade agreements with USA
Updated February 23, 2026 – 1:00 p.mReading time: 43 minutes
The EU Parliament wants to pause the implementation of the US trade deal. Pope Leo is making people sit up and take notice with his travel plans. All developments in the news blog.
After the tariff ruling in the USA and new announcements from President Donald Trump, the European Parliament wants to pause work on the implementation of a previously concluded trade agreement with Washington. MPs from a large majority of parliamentary groups spoke in favor of such a step before a meeting on Monday. Parliament will therefore not vote on abolishing EU tariffs on US industrial products for the time being.
Pope Leo XIV will visit a Mediterranean island known for the passage of migrants to Europe on July 4, America’s Independence Day. The Vatican announced this week that the first American head of the Catholic Church will visit Lampedusa. The small Italian island has for years been considered a gateway for migrants and refugees traveling to Europe from Africa and the Middle East.
The pope’s visit to Lampedusa follows a year of tension between the Vatican and the Trump administration. Pope Leo XIV had spoken out several times against the US President’s far-reaching immigration measures. Even before his election as pope, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost published several articles in which he criticized both Vance’s and Trump’s policies. Last September, given the US government’s immigration policy, he questioned whether the poor treatment of immigrants was consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Observers see the fact that the American Pope is traveling to Lampedusa on American Independence Day as a clear sign in the direction of Trump. The US President had already announced that on July 4th he would celebrate the “most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen.” Just a few days ago, the Vatican turned down an invitation from the US government to visit his homeland. The Pope will no longer travel to the USA this year, it was said.
