EU gives final approval to tariff commitments under US agreement

The Council of the European Union has formally adopted the two regulations implementing the tariff commitments included in the EU–US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025, completing the legislative process and reaffirming the EU’s commitment to a stable and predictable transatlantic trade relationship.

The new rules eliminate the remaining EU customs duties on US industrial goods, grant preferential market access for selected US seafood and non-sensitive agricultural products through tariff-rate quotas and reduced tariffs, and extend the suspension of duties on lobster imports, including processed lobster, under the most-favoured-nation principle.

The regulations also strengthen safeguard and suspension mechanisms. They enable the European Commission to respond rapidly to significant import surges that cause or threaten serious harm to EU operators and to suspend tariff preferences if the United States fails to honour its commitments, undermines the objectives of the Joint Statement or introduces discriminatory measures that disrupt balanced trade relations.

The regulations will enter into force the day after their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The main regulation will expire at the end of 2029, although the European Commission must present, by 30 June 2029, a comprehensive assessment of its impact on bilateral trade, tariff revenues and the economy, including SMEs, together with a legislative proposal to extend its application where appropriate. The regulation covering lobster imports will apply retroactively from 1 August 2025 and remain in force until 31 July 2030.