Brussels: 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 was a very good deal compared to others.
Tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors are currently zero, but if they rise as a result of a US probe into imports of those products, they will not exceed the 15% ceiling.
Talks on a joint statement with the US that will spell out more details are very advanced, with the text broadly ready, with the EU waiting for a response from Washington to finalise things, the official said. He declined to give a timeline for its release.
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 was a very good deal compared to others.
Tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors are currently zero, but if they rise as a result of a US probe into imports of those products, they will not exceed the 15% ceiling.
Talks on a joint statement with the US that will spell out more details are very advanced, with the text broadly ready, with the EU waiting for a response from Washington to finalise things, the official said. He declined to give a timeline for its release.
