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U.S. Enacts 15% Tariffs on EU Imports as Wine and Spirits Await Carve-Outs

Executive orders activate a 15% duty on most EU goods as negotiators have yet to finalise the joint statement

A double decker bus passes the skyline with its dominating banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, November 8, 2023.  REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/ File Photo
(Illustration by Noah Hickey/Images via Getty Images and Unsplash)
Cars readied for export are parked next to a vehicle storage facility on the dockside at the ABP port in Southampton, Britain August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

Overview

  • Most EU exports to the U.S. are now subject to a 15% tariff ceiling agreed under the July framework deal
  • Wine and spirits, which had traded tariff-free since 1997, will be captured by the new ceiling pending exemption talks this autumn
  • A key joint statement to legally formalise the political accord remains under negotiation in Brussels and Washington
  • The European Commission has pledged to suspend €93 billion in retaliatory tariffs due on August 7 if the U.S. upholds its 15% commitments
  • Industry groups on both sides are lobbying for sector-specific carve-outs to restore zero-for-zero tariffs on wine and spirits