EU member states have given final approval to two new regulations that implement tariff commitments agreed with the United States in an EU–US Joint Statement dated 21 August 2025.
The measures remove the remaining EU customs duties on US industrial goods, and offer preferential access for certain US seafood and non-sensitive agricultural products through tariff rate quotas and reduced tariffs, the Council of the EU stated on Thursday.
They also extend the EU’s suspension of duties on lobster imports — including processed lobster — for products from all countries under “most favoured nation” rules, meaning the same tariff treatment applies to all trading partners unless a specific trade deal provides otherwise.
Michael Damianos, Cyprus’s minister for energy, commerce and industry, said the regulations were intended to support “stable and predictable trade flows with the US” while allowing the EU to respond if the agreement is not respected.
Safeguards and timelines
The regulations include a safeguard mechanism allowing the European Commission to act in cases of significant import surges that cause, or threaten to cause, serious injury to EU operators, the Council said.
They also strengthen the EU’s ability to suspend tariff preferences if the US does not respect its commitments, undermines the objectives of the Joint Statement, or disrupts balanced trade relations, including through discriminatory measures.
The two regulations will be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force the day after publication.
The main regulation is due to stop applying at the end of 2029, and the Commission must present an assessment of its impact by 30 June 2029, including effects on small and medium-sized enterprises.
The separate regulation on lobster imports will apply retroactively from 1 August 2025 and is set to expire on 31 July 2030 unless further action is taken.
EU–US trade in goods and services surpassed €1.7 trillion in 2025, and the bloc and the US account for almost 30% of global trade in goods and services and 43% of global GDP.
