The EU has included Bourbon, wine and beer in its latest list of US products lined up for retaliatory tariffs.
Wine, beer and spirits are among the products that could be subject to duties, according to a 200-page list sent yesterday from the EU Commission to the Council’s Trade Policy Committee.
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Spirits affected also include rum, gin, and vodka. Coffee, tea, mineral waters, fruit juices and non-alcoholic beer are also mentioned in the list, which has been seen by Just Drinks.
The document also includes food products from the US such as fruit and vegetables, confectionery and eggs. Aircraft, car parts and medical devices are also featured.
The total value of goods on the list is €72bn ($84bn). A tariff rate has not been included.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump announced plans to implement a 30% tariff on EU goods from 1 August.
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By GlobalDataEU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed in a press briefing on Sunday (13 July) the bloc would push back its plans to introduce retaliatory tariffs on the US to August. The measures, drawn up earlier this year, were initially due to come into play this week.
The EU had previously dropped plans to include Bourbon and US wines in its initial list of counter-measures, the European wine trade body the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV) told Just Drinks in April.
Commenting on the new list, Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, the secretary general of the CEEV, told Just Drinks: “We believe that the inclusion of US wines in the list of products is not efficient in reaching the EU objectives aimed with these measures because there is no political or strategic or economic interest within them in the list.”
He added: “Economically, there will be no relief for EU producers by the fact that the arrival of American wines will be more difficult… there is no economic interest, even for us to oppose their entrance. They are not disturbing the European market.”
Speaking to Just Drinks yesterday (14 July), Sánchez Recarte said the EU wine sector was extremely concerned” about Trump’s threat of a 30% US tariff on goods from the bloc but remained optimistic about a deal being reached.
Distilled Council of United States (DISCUS) president and CEO Chris Swonger described the EU’s inclusion of American and other US spirits on its retaliatory tariffs list as “a serious setback and deeply alarming”.
He added: “This decision threatens to undo the hard-won progress made by American distillers and will be a crushing blow to the recovery of US spirits exports to the EU.
“We need President Trump’s leadership to negotiate a deal with the EU to return to the zero-for-zero tariff framework that has proven beneficial for the U.S. spirits and hospitality sectors. Restoring this model is essential to ensuring the continued growth and vitality for spirits producers, farmers, restaurant owners and bartenders across the United States.”
