Tariffs: US-EU negotiations continue to include wine and agri-food products in the “exemptions” list

What is certain today is that European and Italian wine, along with many other products, will be subject to a 15% tariff to enter the United States. However, the battle to have it included in the list of products exempt from reciprocal tariffs, although clearly complex, is not entirely over, and a faint glimmer of hope remains. This is according to various sources on both sides of the Atlantic, following the joint statement issued by the US and the EU in recent days, which outlined the current rules of the game. In the US, the US Wine Trade Alliance has emphasized that there is still room for negotiation, commenting, among other things: “Wine is at the heart of the activities of hundreds of thousands of American businesses, from restaurants and retailers to importers and distributors, in every state of the Union. Countless family businesses depend on the profits they earn from European wine, which fuels jobs and economic activity across the country. All major national wine producer organizations have also endorsed our message to the Trump Administration (which we reported here), arguing that tariffs on imported wine are simply bad for America. We are heartened to learn that negotiations will continue, and we will advocate every day that wine must be included in the next round of tariff relief. Our message is simple: lowering tariffs on wine strengthens American businesses, supports jobs, and benefits consumers, all without harming US producers”.
In Italy, however, after the announcement of the agreement, a statement from Palazzo Chigi emphasized that “The government remains committed, together with the European Commission and other EU member states, to further increasing the number of exempt product sectors in the coming months, as provided for in the joint declaration, starting with the agri-food sector”. The Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, also reiterated this concept at the Rimini Meeting in recent days, stating that the 15% tariff “is certainly an obstacle, but one that can be overcome by our companies, which have the strength of quality, excellence, and uniqueness on their side, which American consumers are unwilling to give up”. The Minister continued, “It is a matter of reaching an agreement, which still needs to be refined, but which guarantees a framework of certainty for businesses. This has been important for the automotive, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical industries. Now, however, we need to complete the journey with the food and wine industries”.