Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Introduction

This legislative proposal constitutes, together with the main proposal 2025/0261(COD), the instrument through which the Commission intends to implement the commitments undertaken by President von der Leyen at the meeting with United States President Donald Trump in Turnberry, Scotland, on 27 July 2025, and subsequently formalised through the Joint Statement on a United States–European Union framework for an agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade of 21 August 2025.

In particular this legislative proposal aims to extend the Joint Statement of the United States and the European Union on a Tariff Agreement announced on 21 August 2020, with respect to lobster (that expired 31 July 2025) and couple it with an expanded product scope to include processed lobster.

This explanatory statement should be read in conjunction with the explanatory statement for the proposal 2025/0261(COD). The rapporteur intends to deal with this proposal and the 2025/0261(COD) jointly and with the same timeline given both files are necessary to implement the EU commitments.

The Rapporteur notes that, unlike for the proposal for the elimination of tariffs on all US industrial goods and providing preferential market access for a wide range of US seafood and agricultural goods, this proposal for the extension of the agreement on Lobster does not pose a problem of WTO compatibility as the Commission will apply the new 0% custom duties on an erga omnes basis.

The Rapporteur was also responsible for the 2020/0253(COD) proposal, which itself implemented the Joint Statement of the United States and the European Union on a Tariff Agreement of 21 August 2020 between US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan.

Under that agreement, the EU eliminated tariffs on imports of US live and frozen lobster products. Back in 2020, the EU also eliminated these tariffs on a Most Favored Nation (MFN) basis. Back then the EU tariffs were eliminated for a period of five years, whilst under the current proposal the Commission intends to eliminate the tariffs permanently. In 2020, the US reduced by 50% its tariff rates on certain products exported by the EU worth an average annual trade value of $160 million, including certain prepared meals, certain crystal glassware, surface preparations, propellant powders, cigarette lighters and lighter parts. The U.S. tariff reductions will also be made on an MFN basis and also retroactively applied as of 1 August 2025.

The Rapporteur notes that this time around the Commission has agreed to renew and expand the Union tariff concession but does not appear to have received an equivalent beneficial market access in return.

Main Elements of the Draft Report

The Rapporteur intends to ensure consistency between the changes he intends to introduce in the main legislative proposal implementing the Joint Statement. In particular he will introduce a new sunset clause to ensure equal treatment between the two proposals and to allow the Commission to negotiate improved market access for Union exports.

The Rapporteur also intends to change the empowerment of the Commission for the suspension of the regulation from implementing act to delegated act to ensure the Commission can amend the Annex where necessary.