The European Commission celebrated this Friday that the recent tariffs announced by the United States maintain a global rate of 10% for the European Union, in line with the trade agreement closed between both parties, and that they again include exemptions for products such as cork and diamonds.
"The EU positively values that this result is in line with the tariff commitments of the United States agreed upon in the joint declaration between the EU and the United States," indicated the Trade spokesperson of the European Commission, Olof Gill.
The community executive emphasizes that the measures disseminated by Washington set an average levy of 10% for the Twenty-Seven and reintroduce new exemptions for goods such as cork and diamonds, which are added to those already in force for aircraft and their components, generic medicines, and pharmaceutical active ingredients.
According to the Commission, this outcome represents a "positive boost" to "continue exploring new tariff exemptions and deepen cooperation" between both parties in areas such as critical raw materials, economic security, artificial intelligence, and digital issues.
The community executive, which "takes note" of the publication of the definitive measures by the White House, recalls that it has already fulfilled its part of the understanding, given that its commitments have been in effect since July 1, and trusts that Washington will continue to adhere to the joint declaration also in future trade investigations.
The decision of the Donald Trump Administration is framed within a new round of tariffs aimed at nearly 60 countries following the expiration of the temporary 10% levy applied for 150 days, with which it seeks to sanction those economies that, in its view, have not done enough to curb the entry of goods produced with forced labor.
In this context, products originating from countries whose regulations are considered adequate in this matter face a rate of 10%, while economies with prohibitions deemed insufficient face a levy of 12.5%. In the case of the EU, the measures preserve the general rate of 10% and apply both levels to specific categories of products.