Brussels opens door to selected US food imports as tariff threat looms
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Brussels will facilitate more imports of US agri-food products deemed "non-sensitive" for EU farmers – including nuts, soybeans, fish, and bison meat – under a trade deal struck on Sunday.
A senior EU official said Monday that the agreement, reached by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump, also extends the so-called lobster deal, originally signed during Trump's first mandate in 2020. That deal has allowed duty-free US lobster exports to the EU ever since.
While the US will continue to sell seafood and nuts to the EU, Brussels appears to have gained little in return for its agri-food sector, which remains exposed to Trump's 15% blanket tariff.
American products – including pistachios, almonds, certain types of processed and raw fish, bison meat, some dairy products, and pet food – will enjoy greater market access to the EU, though final terms await a joint statement still being drafted. Notably, nuts and soybeans were among the products the EU had previously earmarked for retaliation in the event of new US tariffs.
Tariff reductions could also extend to fertilisers, where the US could be an alternative supplier to Russia, the official said.
More contentious items like beef, poultry, and sugar remain excluded from the concessions, they added.
Brussels insists the move won't harm EU producers, as the goods are 'non-sensitive.' But European almond growers – especially in Spain, the world's second-largest producer – have long warned that cheaper Californian nuts threaten their survival.
Meanwhile, Brussels is trying to salvage an exemption for spirits and wine – a highly lucrative export sector for the bloc that relies heavily on the US market – with negotiations still ongoing, the official said.
The EU official maintained that the Commission 'stayed firm on agriculture' during talks with US counterparts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
6 hours ago
- Euractiv
EU-US trade deal gives ‘little reason to celebrate', Polish PM Tusk says
The newly agreed-upon EU-US trade deal could lose Poland around €1.87 billion (8 billion złoty), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. 'The losses [from the tariffs] will be painful on both sides of the Atlantic, but a difficult trade deal is better than a pointless tariff war between allies,' Tusk said. While Sunday's trade deal averted 30% US tariffs on EU goods, a 15% levy now set to hit everything from cars to wine. 'US tariffs on European products have become a reality. They are half the rate proposed by President Trump in April, but there is little reason to celebrate,' the Polish prime minister wrote on X on Tuesday. He cited 'preliminary estimates', according to which Poland could lose around €1.87 billion (8 billion złoty) under the new deal – down from a potential €3.53 billion (15 billion złoty) initially feared. Warsaw's main trade partner is Germany, followed by Czechia, France, UK, Italy. The US are not one of the main receivers of Poland's exported goods. The country imports more from the USA. According to Statistics Poland (GUS), Polish exports to the US in the first two months of 2025 amounted to €1.9 billion (8.7 billion złoty) and accounted for 3.6% of Poland's total exports. Imports from the USA to Poland in January and February stood at €2.9 billion (13.2 billion złoty), with the United States accounting for 5.4% of Poland's total imports. The Brief – How Trump trounced Ursula Sunday's deal is the almost inevitable outcome of a declining great power placing its faith in an economically illiterate, mendacious, image-obsessed narcissist – and then asking that person to negotiate with Donald Trump. (vib)
Euractiv
7 hours ago
- Euractiv
HARVEST: The EU-US deal's missing details
EURACTIV's Agrifood Team Euractiv Jul 29, 2025 09:42 6 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Want to keep reading? Get a subscription on Euractiv Pro and elevate your political insight! Discover Euractiv Pro For corporations Already have an account? Log in
Euractiv
11 hours ago
- Euractiv
Europe loses patience with Israel
Eddy Wax Jul 29, 2025 07:10 10 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Welcome to the Capitals by Eddy Wax, with Nicoletta Ionta. Feedback is welcome. Were you forwarded this newsletter by a friend? Sign up here. In today's edition: - EU edges toward Israel sanctions - A rough landing for the US-EU deal - China rips MEPs over Taiwan - Steel safeguards to hit EFTA states - Last day to claim defence money In the capital For more than two years, most EU countries stood by Israel's side as it waged war on Hamas in Gaza – even as civilian casualties soared. Now, with harrowing images of starvation and devastation circulating globally, Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government is rapidly losing friends. In what could become the EU's first formal sanctions against Israel since 7 October, commissioners yesterday backed a proposal to exclude Israeli companies from a portion of the bloc's Horizon Europe research programme, specifically the part that funds defence and dual-use technologies, including military startups. The measure reflects a loss of patience among EU capitals over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This afternoon, ambassadors in Brussels will discuss the proposal, which still requires approval by a qualified majority, meaning 55% of member states representing two-thirds of the bloc's population. While Israel's foreign ministry has vowed to fight the move, claiming it 'only serves to strengthen Hamas,' even some of its closest allies are shifting. Dutch PM Dick Schoof said the Netherlands would back the proposal if Israel is found to be in breach of the programme's rules. The turnaround in Brussels has been swift. Just two weeks ago, the Commission was promoting a new aid deal with Israel, and member states had not coalesced around any of the sanction options floated by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. But on Monday, Commissioner Dubravka Šuica conceded that the agreement had only been 'partially implemented,' blaming the failure on unsafe conditions for distribution. The EU now expects that "Israel will cooperate to ensure humanitarian aid delivery," she added. Germany will start airlifting aid into the Gaza Strip to help improve the dire humanitarian situation, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Monday, while also refusing to rule out the introduction of sanctions against Israel. Even Germany, Israel's staunchest ally in Europe, is hardening its position. This week, Chancellor Friedrich Merz pointedly did not rule out suspending the EU-Israel trade agreement after a Gaza-focused security cabinet meeting. He confirmed that France, the UK, and Germany are weighing a joint foreign ministers' trip to Israel. Diplomatic heat is also rising outside Europe. France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a United Nations conference in New York, aimed at driving political momentum behind the "two-state solution" that Israel firmly opposes. Ten EU countries already recognise Palestinian statehood – with Spain, Ireland and Slovenia doing so during the ongoing war. France recently said it will follow in September, issuing a stinging rebuke to Israel, even if it carries little practical weight. The US State Department dismissed the conference as a 'stunt that will further embolden Hamas.' Israel is also not participating. Ahead of the gathering, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the first elections since 2006 will be held in the coming year, and called on Hamas to disarm – declaring that a future Palestinian state would be demilitarised. In the European Parliament, attention is shifting to the West Bank. After Israel's Knesset passed a non-binding resolution supporting annexation, 58 MEPs sent a letter to EU leadership urging 'meaningful actions' in response. Read more about Europe's shifting stance on Gaza from our Berlin correspondent Nick Alipour. A rough landing for the EU-US trade deal No one is celebrating the framework agreement between the EU and US. French PM François Bayrou called it "submission," Spain's Pedro Sánchez offered only faint praise, and Merz warned the deal would cause considerable damage to Germany's economy. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who flew to Washington 10 times to negotiate the agreement, hinted that keeping the US aligned on Ukraine was part of the calculus. And right on cue, Donald Trump stood beside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday and declared that Russia had just "10 or 12 days" to end the war. In an interview with The Capitals, former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said the bloc had made a 'mistake' by failing to strike back in earlier trade talks – particularly when Trump imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminium. 'It should not have withdrawn the retaliatory tariffs from the fifth of April," she said. Malmström argued the EU had failed to absorb key lessons from Trump's first term, when she and former Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker struck a mini-deal to ease tensions. 'We should have learned from the personality of President Trump: he respects strength, he despises weakness, and we should have been tougher from the beginning.' Still, she acknowledged the Commission was under heavy pressure from key industries in Germany and Italy to avoid a full-blown trade war. Asymmetry locked in Bernd Lange, the European Parliament's top trade MEP, didn't mince words. He called the deal 'asymmetry set in stone' and insisted the legislature must get a say before it proceeds through the system. For now, no one is quite sure what form the agreement will even take. Details continued to trickle out on Monday. Pharmaceuticals will remain tariff-free for now, though a US probe into dependency on EU drug imports could upend that. Brussels has agreed to ease access for some US agricultural products like nuts, soybeans and bison meat, and to extend the 'lobster deal' from 2020. But EU agri-food exports are still subject to Trump's 15% tariff wall, Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro reports. Catch up on what the deal means for energy, defence and tech in Euractiv's full breakdown. Also read former EU trade negotiator John Clark's brutal takedown of the deal. China rips MEPs over Taiwan trip Beijing has condemned last week's visit to Taiwan by a group of MEPs as a 'serious violation of the one-China principle' and 'blatant interference in China's internal affairs.' The trip, led by French centrist Nathalie Loiseau, included meetings with Taiwanese officials and civil society leaders – and coincided with the EU's China summit. 'China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the European Parliament and the Taiwan authorities,' a spokesperson for China's EU mission said. 'We urge the European Parliament, as a core institution of the EU, to honour the EU's political commitments to China and immediately correct its wrongdoings.' Beijing has long dissuaded other countries from recognising Taiwan as an independent state, by way of threats and coercion. While it considers the island a rebellious province, Taiwan operates as a self-governing democracy. Keep your friends close... The Commission has notified four European Free Trade Association countries – Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein – that it plans to impose tariffs on ferroalloys from 19 August to protect the EU steel industry, the organisation confirmed to Euractiv, following reports in Norway. It's a diplomatic slap for the nations, especially Norway, that have scrambled to stay out of the EU-US trade crossfire. 'Norway is inside our single market and Norway will stay and remain inside our single market. This is crystal clear," von der Leyen had said in April, during a Brussels visit by Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre. Last day to claim defence money Today is the deadline for countries to signal their interest in tapping into the €150 billion SAFE programme – the largest EU-backed loan facility ever offered for arms purchases. Governments are also expected to submit ballpark figures for how much they want. About 20 countries have already expressed interest in €100 billion of the fund, EU defence chief Andrius Kubilius told Euractiv last week. Poland alone is seeking as much as €25 billion and wants to work on joint projects with Ukraine. Read more. The Capitals BERLIN | Germany faces a projected €172 billion budget shortfall for the 2027-2029 period, local media reported, citing government sources. The gap has widened by about €28 billion in recent weeks, driven by rising interest payments, economic stagnation, and internal compromises over costly tax relief plans. The Cabinet is expected to pass the government's draft budget for 2026 on Wednesday. PARIS | Prime Minister François Bayrou slammed the new EU-US trade deal as a 'dark day' for Europe, accusing Brussels of bowing to US pressure. Read more. ROME | The city council here has taken down a series of AI-generated billboards from Matteo Salvini's League party that promoted a controversial security bill, citing ethnic stereotypes and breaches of advertising standards. The posters depicted migrants, Roma people, and youth with dreadlocks. Salvini's party denounced the removal as 'communist censorship.' MADRID | Spain will send thousands of kilos of food to Gaza by air, PM Pedro Sánchez announced Monday, in response to the urgent humanitarian crisis. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares added that 12 tons of aid will depart on 1 August, with trucks also awaiting approval to cross into the territory through Israel. WARSAW | A new CBOS poll shows that 68% of Poles knew that the country held the EU Council presidency in the first half of 2025, but just 28% believed it delivered results. While views varied along party lines, support for EU membership remained strong, with 81% backing Poland's place in the bloc despite doubts about its influence while at the helm. PRAGUE | Moldova has deported Czech MEP Ondřej Dostál over security concerns linked to a pro-Russian opposition conference. Dostál has criticised the move as politically motivated. Authorities also blocked other far-right figures from entering, citing ties to the criminal network of fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and alleged Russian destabilisation efforts. Read more. BUDAPEST | Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán mocked the EU-US trade deal as 'Trump eating von der Leyen for breakfast,' slamming the 15% levy. He also said the EU's $750 billion energy pledge and $600 billion in investments showed a weak hand at the negotiating table. Read more. BRATISLAVA | Slovakia plans to build a €15 billion nuclear power plant with US firm Westinghouse without a public tender, citing efficiency concerns and regional precedent. The EU Commission is reviewing the move, which has drawn domestic criticism. Read more.
