The European Union and the United States have released a joint statement nearly a month after finalising their trade deal in Scotland. The document outlines tariff reductions on several industrial goods but leaves agricultural products, including wine and spirits, outside of the current exemptions.
For EU producers, this means that existing tariffs on fresh produce and related exports remain in place. A Commission statement noted that "both sides agree to continue to ambitiously work to extend this regime to other product categories – a key deliverable for the EU."
Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič stressed that the EU "has been very clear this is very important for us," underlining that further negotiations are expected to address agriculture. At present, no adjustments have been made to tariff rates applied to EU agricultural exports to the US.
The joint statement is not legally binding. It confirms that tariff reductions already agreed will proceed on a limited set of goods, with retroactive application beginning August 1. For agriculture, however, the outcome remains pending, with no reductions confirmed.
EU officials acknowledged that the text represents a "first step" in ongoing negotiations. While industrial sectors benefit immediately, agricultural exporters will need to wait for further rounds of talks to see whether tariff relief is extended to their products.
Source: Euro News