On Wednesday morning, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on two pieces of legislation implementing EU tariff commitments under the August 2025 EU-US Joint Statement. The agreement reached by the two EU co-legislators strengthens several elements of the Commission proposals.
The main regulation on industrial and agri-food imports will expire on 31 December 2029. Before this date, the Commission will make a comprehensive assessment of its trade effects on EU industry, agriculture and small and medium-sized enterprises, and of changes in trade patterns with third countries. The Commission may present a legislative proposal to extend the regulation’s duration.
Steel and aluminium derivatives
In August 2025, the US added 407 product categories to the list of derivative steel and aluminium products subject to tariffs. Parliament considered that these new tariffs increased the level of trade instability and pushed for this issue to be addressed in the main regulation. The Commission will be able to suspend tariff preferences if by 31 December 2026 the US continues to apply a tariff rate higher than 15 percent on EU steel and aluminium derivatives. Furthermore, the Commission will report to the European Parliament and to the Council, by 1 December 2026, on the tariff treatment of steel and aluminium derivatives.
Strengthened suspension clause
The Commission will also be able to suspend tariff preferences if the United States fails to address the Union’s concerns regarding the tariff treatment of Union exports which until 24 February 2026 benefitted from the 15% all-inclusive tariff ceiling.
Safeguard mechanism
The co-legislators also agreed to establish a safeguard mechanism in the event that the tariff preferences granted to the US lead to increases in imports that threaten to cause serious injury to EU industry, including the agricultural sector. The Commission will be able to start an investigation on its own initiative, or on the basis of information provided by one or more member states or by the European Parliament. The Commission will also report to the Parliament and the Council on a quarterly basis on changes in trade volumes and values of US exports of the goods covered by this legislation.
Customs duties on lobster
Concerning the second proposal on lobsters, Parliament and Council agreed on the Parliament’s proposal for a five-year extension of tariff-free imports of lobster until 31 July 2030. This will apply retroactively from 1 August 2025.
Source: European Parliament
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