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On 20 May 2026, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on two Commission regulations that enact the EU's tariff-side commitments under the EU-US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025:
COM(2025)0471 — Main Regulation: Eliminates the remaining EU customs duties on US industrial goods and grants preferential market access (via tariff rate quotas and reduced tariffs) for certain US seafood and non-sensitive agricultural products including tree nuts, dairy, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, processed foods, planting seeds, soybean oil, and pork and bison meat.
COM(2025)0472 — Lobster Regulation: Extends the suspension of EU duties on imports of lobster from the United States, expanding product scope to include processed lobster. Applied retroactively from 1 August 2025 (the expiry date of the prior 2020 EU-US lobster agreement).
Both proposals were submitted by the Commission on 28 August 2025, one week after the Joint Statement formalised the bilateral trade framework. The May 2026 political agreement closes the trilogue process between the Council (which adopted its mandate in November 2025) and the Parliament.
Sunset clause: Both regulations cease to apply on 31 December 2029 unless co-legislators take further action. A comprehensive Commission impact assessment covering EU industry, agriculture, and SMEs is required six months before expiry.
Safeguard mechanism: Triggered by three or more member states, EU industry, or trade unions, the Commission may initiate a safeguard investigation and impose measures if increased US exports cause serious injury to EU producers.
Commission suspension powers: The Commission is empowered to suspend — in whole or in part — the application of the regulations via implementing act where: (i) the US fails to meet its Joint Statement commitments; (ii) the US otherwise undermines the Joint Statement's objectives; or (iii) the US discriminates against EU operators in trade and investment relations.
Steel/aluminium escalation trigger: If the US continues to apply a tariff rate higher than 15% on EU-origin steel and aluminium derivative products beyond 31 December 2026, the Commission is empowered to suspend tariff concessions on steel and aluminium products to the US. The Commission must report on this by 1 December 2026.
Monitoring architecture: The Commission must report to co-legislators on US export volume/value changes six months after entry into force and every three months thereafter.