The EU Council has finalized the mechanism for implementing the trade agreement with the United States
The Council of the European Union has given final approval to two regulatory acts necessary for the implementation of the framework trade agreement with the United States, thereby completing all legislative procedures required for its entry into force.
On June 25, the EU Council adopted two regulatory acts concerning the implementation of tariff commitments under the trade agreement with the U.S., effectively finalizing the legal formalities of the agreement.
According to the adopted documents, existing EU tariffs on a range of goods from the U.S. are eliminated, preferential access is granted for certain categories of American seafood and agricultural products, and the tariff exemption on lobster imports is extended.
At the same time, the package includes safeguard mechanisms that can be activated in the event of a sharp increase in imports or the United States’ failure to fulfill its commitments.
The Council of the EU emphasized that the decision aims to maintain a balance between market openness and the protection of European producers’ interests.
“We are committed to a strong and open transatlantic partnership with our historic ally—but openness must go hand in hand with the protection of our own interests. These measures ensure both—maintaining stable and predictable trade flows with the U.S., while ensuring that the EU can respond swiftly and proportionately if the agreement is not respected or if our interests are threatened,” said Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Trade, and Industry of Cyprus, which currently holds the EU Council presidency.
Thus, the agreement is moving into the implementation phase while preserving the EU’s trade defense mechanisms.
This was reported by the press service of the Council of the European Union.
As a reminder, the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union has officially begun preparations for the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on the membership of Ukraine and Moldova.
