European wines, cavas and spirits will also have a maximum tariff of 15%.

Barcelona"We do not expect wine and spirits to be included as an exemption in the first group announced by the United States tomorrow. Therefore, this sector, along with all others, will be included in the 15% general tariffs." This was confirmed at a press conference on Thursday by European Commission (EC) Trade spokesperson Olof Gill, who confirmed that the wine, cava, and spirits sector will be included in the general tariff package starting this Friday, and not among the sectors exempted by the trade agreement with the United States.

However, these exemptions have yet to be finalized because the EU and US negotiating teams are just finishing the joint declaration based on Sunday's political agreement. In fact, the EU spokesperson himself said on Thursday that Brussels is continuing negotiations because its goal is to obtain an exemption for these products. "The Commission remains determined to obtain and guarantee the largest possible number of exemptions, including for traditional European Union products such as wine and spirits," Gill added. The wine and spirits sector had initially been left out of the deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday, but she did say that pharmaceuticals would be hit with a 15% tariff.

Spirits have not been burdened with tariffs between the United States and the European Union since a 1997 agreement that also included other countries such as Canada and Japan. This lasted for more than 20 years, until 2018, when the EU's response to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum included increased tariffs on bourbon and other US spirits. These were suspended in 2021 during the administration of then-US President Joe Biden.

From 20% to 15%, then 50%.

This Friday, August 1, is the deadline imposed by the United States for the entry into force of reciprocal tariffs, which were suspended since July 7 pending bilateral agreements with each country and which, in the case of the European Union (EU), were momentarily 50% and finally 30%, according to the latest threat US President Donald Trump's. Sunday's agreement ultimately lowered them to 15%.

The 90-day deadline expired on July 7. that the Trump administration had announced on April 9, just a week after the US president declare trade war on the worldIt was on April 2nd when Trump appeared with a sign that included a long list of affected countries –and announced 20% tariffs for the European Union"Today is the day of liberation," he said.

But since Trump and Von der Leyen reached an agreement last Sunday, this general tariff was set at 15%, a percentage that represents a consolidation of what the United States is currently applying to EU companies. Washington has a general 10% tariff on all European imports, a rate that was in addition to the 4.8% that the US administration previously applied.

The United States is pending.

"The European Commission understands that the United States will implement the agreed-upon general tariff limit of 15%. We also understand that the United States will implement the exemptions. This means that starting tomorrow we will have the agreed tariff reduction," Gill explained. The spokesperson said that the United States must implement Sunday's commitments and that, therefore, "the ball is in their court." The expectation, he also said, is that if this is the case, the European Commission will also suspend the response tariffs it had planned to implement starting August 7.

In any case, the joint statement planned for tomorrow "is not a legally binding document," Gill said, but rather a set of political commitments. "It will be a roadmap from which we will follow any additional legal procedures that are necessary."