BRUSSELS / EuroWire / – The Council of the European Union approved two tariff regulations on June 25, completing the bloc’s legislative process for commitments made with the United States in 2025. The measures implement tariff terms set out in the EU-US Joint Statement of August 21, 2025. They cover industrial goods, selected seafood and agricultural products, and lobster imports. The Council said the laws keep safeguards in place for European economic interests.
The main regulation removes the remaining EU customs duties on US industrial goods. It also gives certain US seafood and non-sensitive farm goods access through tariff-rate quotas and reduced tariffs. A second regulation extends the suspension of duties on lobster imports. That provision also covers processed lobster. The lobster measure applies on a most favoured nation basis, which means it covers imports from all countries under the stated terms.
The European Parliament approved the tariff legislation on June 16 before final adoption by the Council. The main regulation passed with 440 votes in favour, 151 against and 50 abstentions. The lobster regulation passed with 444 votes in favour, 152 against and 54 abstentions. The votes followed an agreement between Parliament and Council negotiators that added safeguards and reporting requirements to the package.
Safeguards Cover Industry And Agriculture
The regulations allow the European Commission to use a safeguard process when import surges cause, or threaten to cause, serious injury to EU operators. The mechanism covers industry and agriculture. The Commission may start an investigation on its own initiative. It may also act on information from one or more member states or from the European Parliament.
The package also gives the EU the ability to suspend tariff preferences in defined cases. Those cases include failure by the United States to respect commitments under the joint statement. They also include actions that undermine the objectives of the statement or disrupt balanced trade relations through discriminatory measures. The Commission must report quarterly to Parliament and the Council on changes in trade volumes and values for covered US exports.
Rules Include Review Dates
The main regulation will stop applying at the end of 2029 unless lawmakers extend it. By June 30, 2029, the Commission must assess the impact on EU-US trade flows, tariff revenue and economic effects. The review must include effects on small and medium-sized companies. The lobster regulation applies retroactively from August 1, 2025. It expires on July 31, 2030 unless further action occurs.
The EU and the United States have one of the world’s largest trade and investment links. EU-US trade in goods and services passed €1.7 trillion in 2025. Mutual investment also forms a major part of the relationship. EU and US firms held more than €4.8 trillion in investments in each other’s markets in 2024. The two regulations will enter into force one day after publication in the Official Journal.