The European Union has formally asked the United States to exempt from customs duties a whole multitude of products currently taxed at 15% on the American market, including wines and certain cheeses such as Roquefort, we learned on Wednesday.
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“We have communicated to the United States an exhaustive list of EU export products for which we consider that a reduction in customs duties is possible, and we are continuing discussions with the United States on this subject,” declared the Commission’s spokesperson for Trade, Olof Gill, confirming information from the media Euractiv.
The spokesperson did not detail the products concerned by this request, but according to sources familiar with the matter interviewed by AFP, they include emblematic European products such as olive oil, wines and spirits and certain cheeses, such as French Roquefort or Italian Pecorino.
But also medical equipment and other industrial products.
In total, this covers around €115 billion in exports, or 20% of the total value of goods exported from the EU to the United States.
With Washington, “contacts and exchanges are going well, with a shared desire for the transatlantic trade relationship to be the most fluid, prosperous and mutually profitable,” Olof Gill also assured.
The move follows the EU’s implementation of its commitments in last year’s trade deal with US President Donald Trump at Turnberry, Scotland.
In this context, on July 1, Europe removed its customs duties on most industrial and agricultural products from the United States, in exchange for capping taxes imposed by the American president on European imports at 15%.
Last year, Brussels assured that it would seek exemptions from American customs duties for certain strategic European sectors, such as wines and spirits.
The EU is also still seeking to obtain a reduction in the 50% customs duties imposed by Donald Trump on steel and aluminum, sectors which are not covered by this customs agreement.
