The 15% tariff that European Union goods face when entering the United States is all-inclusive, unlike the deals some other countries have struck with Washington, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.
The tariff framework will apply broadly to EU exports, except for steel and aluminium, the official said. The 15% rate will also apply to cars and car parts, with no quotas or limits, he added.
“What we have obtained in our deal is the best available treatment,” the EU official told reporters, while adding that the 27-nation bloc was not celebrating the 15% rate, but that it considered it a very good deal compared to others.
Tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors are currently zero, but if they rise as a result of a U.S. probe into imports of those products, they will not exceed the 15% ceiling.
The EU is also working to finalise a list of essential products that will be exempt from U.S. tariffs, a process the official said will take some time. The EU is trying to get as many products as possible into the list of tariffs exemption, at a zero-for-zero rate.
“Again, I have to insist that we’re not celebrating this (trade deal). This is a sense of relief for us. No calls for celebration,” the official said.
