Breaking News! EU Retaliatory Tariffs Set for October 18th!

Late yesterday, the USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) published the list of items slated for additional tariffs as a result of the damages awarded by the WTO in the Airbus case. While this seems sudden, the case has been going on for 15 years and the ruling was just finalized. It just so happens to hit during a period of multiple trade actions by the administration. For the alcoholic beverages on the list, the additional tariff is set at 25% ad valorem and is scheduled to go into effect on October 18th.

In practical terms, this means that on a container of product valued at $50,000.00, you will pay an additional $12,500.00. Therefore, you must be prepared to pay these additional duties upon arrival of your import shipments impacted by this new law. We realize this is severe and the various industry groups are fighting hard to remove these tariffs and get back to the negotiating table. 

We are attaching the list of items for your review, buy, in brief, the targeted items include whisky/whiskey from Scotland and Ireland, still wine less than 14% from France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, and liqueurs and cordials from Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the UK. We are also attaching the coalition letter that we have signed pressuring officials to return to the negotiating table.

Please contact us for any further information. We will continue to provide updates as the situation progresses.