Duties and Mercosur: from wine to pasta, Italian agri-food meets Ue Commissioner Šefčovič

“Europe has concluded an agreement with the United States which, compared to other international agreements, does not place us at a particular disadvantage. However, we do not believe that any kind of tariff system with the United States is beneficial, neither for us nor for the United States itself, and therefore, we hope that, over time, efforts will be made to eliminate the tariff system, bringing it down to zero”. These were the words of the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, during today’s meeting in Rome at the Ministry of Agriculture with the European Commissioner for Trade, Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, Maroš Šefčovič, as part of the Commissioner mission in Italy dedicated to the main EU trade dossiers. The discussion, structured in two working sessions, included in its second part the participation of representatives from the leading organizations in the Italian agri-food sector: Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, Copagri, Federalimentare, Assolatte, Legacoop Agroalimentare, Filiera Italia, Unionfood, Unione Italiana Vini - Uiv, Federvini, Ente Risi, Agci Agroalimentare, Fruitimprese, Unaitalia, and Fedagripesca-Confcoop. The meeting focused on key issues of European trade policy, with particular reference to the EU-Mercosur agreement and the matter of tariffs imposed by the United States on certain Italian agri-food products, including pasta, wine, olive oil, and cheese. Yesterday, Šefčovič - as we reported on WineNews - speaking before the joint Foreign Affairs, Economic Activities, and EU Policies Committees of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, explained that “we are pushing for an exemption for wine and spirits from the 15% tariff”.
Lollobrigida added that “at the heart of the discussion, there is the desire to make Europe more credible in international markets. We will work with the EU Trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, to ensure the resilience of European exports, with particular attention to the agri-food sector. In the meantime, today we need to focus on our priorities, and in this regard, we have received the Commissioner commitment to address certain issues affecting some of our productions, particularly the increase in tariffs on Pecorino Romano, olive oil, and vinegar”.
The concern over the impact of U.S. tariffs on wine businesses and the need to accelerate the conclusion of free trade agreements with Mercosur and India were the main points raised by president of Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) Lamberto Frescobaldi to Commissioner Šefčovič during meetings at the Ministry of Agriculture on Via XX Settembre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Villa Madama. “We appreciate the work carried out by Commissioner Šefčovič during one of the most delicate phases of our trade history - said Frescobaldi - and we hope that the strength of diplomacy can persuade the Trump administration to withdraw the imposition of tariffs on wine, which harm Italian and European businesses, but even more so the interests of the American trade chain. For every dollar invested in European wines, U.S. trade generates another 4.5 dollars for the American economy. For this reason, wine - whose contraction in the overseas market is increasingly evident - must remain a priority on the agenda of relations with the United States, and an alliance with U.S. trade partners could be a strategic element to pursue. Meetings like today can prove very useful, and we therefore thank Ministers Lollobrigida and Tajani for the opportunity provided”. Uiv also hopes for “an extraordinary commitment from the Government and the Commission in continuing the negotiations”.
Vicepresident of Federvini Piero Mastroberardino also thanked “Ministers Lollobrigida and Tajani for this crucial opportunity for direct dialogue with Commissioner Šefčovič. The United States - he said - remains an irreplaceable partner for us, a market worth 2.5 billion euros for our three sectors: wine, spirits, and vinegar. It is vital to maintain a positive dialogue and a constructive approach to expand the list of goods exempt from tariffs, avoiding the return of duties - such as those from the Airbus/Boeing dispute temporarily suspended until next July - which would harm our businesses. As we stated more times, from a diversification perspective, we believe that free trade agreements represent an important opportunity for growth and development, to be enhanced within a framework of clear rules capable of ensuring effective protection of our productive excellences. Regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement, we evaluate the results of the negotiation positively while reiterating the essential need to safeguard our Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin, authentic expressions of the identity and unique value of Italian production”.
Cristian Maretti, president of Legacoop Agroalimentare, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Cooperatives and accompanied by Antonello Capua of Agci Agroalimentare and Giovanni Guarneri of Fedagri Confcooperative, sent a message to Šefčovič: “trade agreements are fine, but only if they adequately protect Geographical Indications and include automatic safeguard clauses. Regarding the U.S. market, the priority today is to achieve zero tariffs for wine: in this prolonged phase of uncertainty, our main cooperatives have absorbed the tariffs and compressed margins (where they existed) for wines priced between 6 and 8 dollars on the shelf. This - explained Maretti - will inevitably impact grape payments, as full recovery from the winery transformation stage is impossible. For higher-priced wines, only 50% of the tariff has been absorbed, relying on greater demand inelasticity. But even so, we are already seeing significant consumption declines”. Maretti underlined that promotional policies in foreign markets, starting with the United States but also toward new outlets, are “now inevitable” to support the stability of the European wine sector. Therefore, “our main wineries have budget meetings in early December, as they operate on interim fiscal years: at that point, it will be necessary to present possible support actions for cooperatives and producers. Without timely interventions, it will be very difficult to imagine a serene 2026: we need a solution that restores stability and confidence along the supply chain”. Giovanni Guarneri (Confcooperative Fedagripesca) added that “the centrality of protecting Geographical Indications is also strategic to ensure transparency in the global market for the origin of Italian agri-food products”. According to Antonello Capua, president of Agci Agroalimentare, “given the concrete risk of new tariffs on our agri-food products, particularly from the United States, it is essential that the European Commission urgently consider establishing an emergency fund to protect exports. This tool could integrate with the Ocm Promotion program, strengthening the ability to diversify destination markets”. Furthermore, “regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement, we demand clear guarantees on the principle of reciprocity: we can’t accept products entering Europe which are produced using pesticides banned here or under environmental and labor conditions that do not comply with our standards”, but also that “the Commission should ensure European consumers a minimum guaranteed level of safety, traceability, and quality, even in future agreements with third countries”. The tariff issue also affects Geographical Indication products such as Pecorino Romano, “which faced a previously nonexistent 15% tariff”, underlined Maretti, with significant market consequences since U.S. sales account for 60% of total exports.
Coldiretti focused its analysis on Mercosur. “The meeting with the EU Trade Commissioner did not provide the expected answers about enforcing the principle of reciprocity in the Mercosur agreement, necessary to safeguard the Italian and European agri-food supply chain”, said president Ettore Prandini at the end of the summit with Maroš Šefčovič. “To the Commissioner - underlined Prandini - we explained that we are not opposed to trade agreements in principle, but it is clear that the Mercosur deal, as it is structured, will certainly not favor the agricultural sector, increasing unfair competition, downward pressure on prices, and health risks for citizens. The agreement can’t work unless compliance with the principle of reciprocity on production standards is guaranteed. And, the safeguard clauses themselves, which are not automatic, offer no protection against damage to our businesses. Moreover, the EU Commission seems unable to grasp the need for an effective control system on what enters the Union. Today, only 3% of imported products are checked in Europe, with a system which leaves individual Member States to decide controls, creating inevitable downward dynamics. One last point which is worth remembering - said Prandini - the Mercosur agreement dates back 19 years, when agri-food was often used as a bargaining chip. Today, the sector is a driving force, and these practices are no longer acceptable”. The issue of U.S. tariffs was also on the table: “we requested prompt action because the effects on the agri-food sector have already been felt in the first months of application. While the overall September figure for all sectors shows a +34% increase compared to the same month last year, driven mainly by maritime navigation equipment, the situation for agri-food is still unclear. First Eurostat anticipations on wine indicate a -18% drop in September, better than August -30%. Exactly August, the first month of the 15% tariff, saw a sharp decline for almost all Italian food products in the United States: from -36% for processed tomato products to -62% for extra virgin olive oil, according to Coldiretti analysis basing on Eurostat data. Pasta also performed poorly (-21%), while the decline for Italian cheeses was more contained (-12%), after previous months of positive results compared to other sectors”.
Satisfaction was expressed by Margherita Mastromauro, president of the Italian pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food, which, with its associated pasta factories, covers over 75% of all Italian pasta production: “This meeting was essential to delve into the main ongoing negotiations between the European Union and strategic trade areas such as Mercosur and the United States. For the pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food, the most current and urgent issue, which deserves decisive action, remains the ongoing anti-dumping tariff procedure at the U.S. Department of Commerce, which has taken a “punitive” decision against the companies under investigation. This is a politically motivated tariff, entirely unjust and disproportionate, which jeopardizes a strategic market for the affected pasta factories, the second after Germany. Given the Trump administration resistance to granting exemptions for specific products, we ask at least that the 15% tariff (applied to all U.S. imports from the EU) absorb the anti-dumping and countervailing duties”. Mastromauro also spoke about other product categories of Unione Italiana Food beyond pasta, such as traditional holiday baked goods (Panettone, Pandoro, and Colomba), as well as Savoiardo and Amaretto. These typical products, explains a note, with their growing popularity abroad, are often subject to imitation and Italian sounding. This exposure risks increasing in the United States in the coming years, and exemption from the 15% tariff is requested. “Regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement - said Mastromauro - given the exclusion of many Italian agri-food products from the negotiation outcomes, we welcomed the Brazilian government unilateral opening to liberalize imports of various categories of interest to Unionfood, including pasta, but not only. However, we ask that these measures become an integral part of the agreement”.