WASHINGTON - Italy comes out unscathed from the revision of the list of products subject to duties that the US had issued last October following the WTO ruling on the Airbus case. From the comparison between the customs codes reported by the office of the US representative for trade (USTR), Italian products are not affected in the two lists of October and today. The risk that the revision could extend to other important sectors of our exports on the US market was therefore averted.
The US has decided not to raise the 25% duties imposed on various European products (including Parmesan) last October and have made only minor changes to the list, for example removing plum juice but adding kitchen knives imported from France and Germany. However, the US trade office reserves the right to exchange the goods affected by the tariffs.
Basically, Washington has only decided to tighten the duties, from 10 to 15%, on Airbus aircraft imported from Europe starting from March 18. This was announced by the office of the American Trade Representative, based on the WTO ruling against European public subsidies to the Airbus consortium.
"With the leadership of President Trump, the US won the biggest prize in the history of the WTO on October 2, 2019 when countermeasures on 7.5 billion assets were authorized" for unfair commercial practices in the European Union and the United Kingdom , reads the note from the American Trade Representative announcing the new duties. Last October Washington had imposed tariffs of 10% on Airbus airplanes and 25% on various European products, mostly in the agri-food sector (including Italian), from cheeses to olives, from wines to whiskey. Washington declares itself ready to reach a negotiated agreement on the dispute over subsidies to the giants of the airline industry. A similar WTO ruling on US public subsidies to American Boeing is expected in April.
Bellanova, work Italy and Europe has paid off
"The work done in these months has paid off. The Italian agri-food sector does not appear in the list of recently published American Ustr of the products subject to duties. We have averted the risk that our excellence would suffer irreparable damage". So, in a note, the minister of agricultural, food and forestry policies, Teresa Bellanova. "In the meeting I had with the Secretary of Agriculture Perdue on 30 January last - underlines Bellanova - I had reiterated it clearly: to keep the Italian agri-food out of the Airbus affair. And I had recorded sharing and availability. Today we collect the results of the "fielded commitment and great teamwork. In Italy and in Europe. This confirms us in what we have been saying for months: systemic action also means ability and authority in Europe and constant supervision of the European tables".
Di Maio, unscathed thanks to US diplomacy and friendship
"Italy today is unscathed from the revision of the list of products subject to tariffs that the US had issued last October. Other countries have been affected but not ours". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio writes in a note stressing that "wines, olive oil and other Italian products that risked duties up to 100% are safe. Our diplomatic action and our friendship with the States United have averted the worst for our companies. So we defend Made in Italy, so we defend the products of our land, the pride of the nation ".
Parmigiano Reggiano, worked in the right direction
"The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium welcomes the news that the US has decided not to raise the 25% duties imposed on various European products last October. We worked in the right direction, teaming up with the other Geographical Indications, firmly believing that the European Commission was the only table to negotiate, avoiding to waste energy by carrying out different interests by the individual representation classes ". This is the comment by Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium who underlines the need to keep "strong nerves and believe more in Europe as an institution: this is the right approach to fight a battle that is only at the beginning and which will see Parmigiano Reggiano at the forefront, considering that the American market represents for us the second foreign market, with 10 thousand tons of product exported every year and enormous growth capacity ". The fact that the US has decided not to further increase tariffs "will certainly bring a more relaxed and objective climate and - we hope - a rebalancing of the market with a higher original price", he concludes.
Chianti Wine Consortium, sigh of relief from the USA
"The best news that could arrive on the eve of our Chianti Lovers preview. We can breathe a sigh of relief after months of apprehension. We are grateful to the American government and to our institutions for the teamwork that has allowed us to exclude Italy from Countries affected by tariffs ". This was stated by Giovanni Busi, president of the Chianti Wine Consortium, on the review of US tariffs that does not affect Italian products. "The American market remains for us a point of reference and fundamental asset for our export - adds Busi -. A country that in recent decades has increased the interest and appreciation for our products. This news makes us resume our business with greater serenity, ready to invest even more ".
Coldiretti, the export of parmesan to the United States halved
Exports of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano to the United States "are practically halved in the two months following the entry into force of the duties on 18 October 2019". This is what emerges from an analysis by Coldiretti disclosed on the occasion of the note of the United States Department of Commerce which confirms for Italy the application of additional tariffs of 25% on approximately half a billion euro of exports of national agri-food products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Gorgonzola, Provolone, Asiago, Fontina, but also salami, mortadella, crustaceans, citrus molluscs, juices and liqueurs such as bitters and limoncello.
Exports of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano to the USA after tariffs, says Coldiretti, "fell by 54% in November and 43% in December", but negative effects also occurred in the other sectors concerned, according to the analysis from which it emerges that the fake made in Italy benefited from it, from Parmesan to Provolone up to Borgonzola. "A heavy impact even if at least for the next 120 days the important diplomatic work that has been carried out has averted the threat of the President of the United States Donald Trump to increase the duties up to 100% in value and to extend them to products that are symbols of the Made in Italy, from wine to oil to pasta, which were initially included in the black list under observation by the Trump Administration ", said the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini engaged in teamwork with EU Commissioner for Commerce Phil Hogan and with the Minister of Agriculture Teresa Bellanova. "It is necessary to resume the path of dialogue with the US but also to activate compensatory aid as soon as possible to the sectors that remain affected and that for Italy represent more than 10% of the total exports to the US", he concluded.
Confagri; excellent news, now negotiated for new agreement
"There will be no new duties on Italian agri-food products destined for the US market. It is excellent news for our farmers and we thank the government for the effective action taken to protect the sector". So the president of Confagricoltura, Massimiliano Giansanti, commented on the decision taken late yesterday evening by the US administration to leave unchanged the duties already in force - equal to 25% of the value - on imports of agri-food products from the EU in the context of the dispute on public aid to the Airbus consortium. From 18 March, on the other hand, additional duties on the aeronautical sector will rise from 10 to 15%. "We have avoided further and serious problems for our productions. It should be remembered that in recent weeks the possibility of applying the duties on approximately 2 billion euros of agri-food products arriving from Italy, including wines, has been under discussion. , but only for the moment - added Giansanti - The US administration has in fact specified that the decision taken yesterday could be reviewed, in function of the developments of the dispute with the EU on public subsidies to Airbus and Boeing groups ". In this regard, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has authorized the United States to impose additional tariffs on imports from the EU for a value of 7.5 billion dollars. "Furthermore - stressed the president of Confagricoltura - all the difficulties caused by US duties, equal to 25% of the value, applied on our exports of cheeses, meats, citrus fruits and liqueurs remain." "As we have been arguing for some time, direct negotiations with the US are needed to reach a new trade agreement that will put an end to the tensions in place."
Cooperative alliance, excellent news for Made in Italy
"What comes from the United States is excellent news: the tariffs introduced in October on Italian products, starting with cheeses, have not been increased and there are also no other Italian products on the list". So Giorgio Mercuri, president of Alleanza cooperative Agroalimentare comments on the publication of the new list of products subject to duties published by the American administration, as a consequence of the WTO ruling on the Airbus affair. "One of the biggest fears - continues Mercuri - concerned the hypothesis that Italian wines were also affected by tariffs. We have averted this risk that would have created many repercussions on our wineries, as is the case for French cousins, whose wines were added to the list in October ". "A great deal of merit must be given - concludes the president of the Agro-food cooperatives - to the diplomatic work carried out by our government, which has moved compactly to avoid tightening duties, as well as the initiatives carried out by Europe and in particular by the Commissioner at Trade Phil Hogan ".
Supply chain Italy, Italy is safe, do not let your guard down
"Good news for the whole sector." This is the comment of Luigi Scordamaglia, managing director of the Italian supply chain, after Italy - explains a note - comes out unscathed from the last round of waltz on duties, no new Made in Italy product enters the revised list of those subject to new Trumpian measures ". The Italian chain, speaking of the American outlet, adds that it is" a necessary, strategic and non-replaceable market for our exports "and, in particular, recalls that" while burdened with 25% duties on the main excellences such as salami and hard cheeses, however, according to the latest ISTAT data, 4.5 billion euros and is positioned in first place in non-European markets and in any case in second place overall, with a double-digit growth rate, which has saw our exports to that country increase in 2019 by + 11.1% compared to 2018 ". An excellent figure, according to the Italian Supply Chain," which according to Istat data reflects the excellent performance of the sector's export in general and, + 8.0% in December 2019 on the same month of 2018, with a final balance over the 12 months of + 6.6%, exceeding the + 6.0% that had been forecast, for a total of 35.4 billion, compared to the expected 35.2 ". Ultimately, concludes Scordamaglia, "there is still a lot to do, especially in terms of defending our excellence against Italian sounding" which is still worth 4 times our export.
Federvini, save Italian wines, but remain cleaver on liqueurs
"For us Italians 'Carosello' means a black and white television, a little nostalgic, but of quality. For some months now, and even more now, carousel has meant an increase in tariffs on Italian products. After the 'Made' liqueurs in Italy ', affected by the duties since 18 October 2019, even wines exported to the United States could from now risk heavy price increases. The negotiations between the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Trump administration have for the moment averted the danger. Until the next carousel. Our aperitifs and liqueurs always remain in the eye of the storm. " Thus Micaela Pallini, President of Federvini's Spiriti Group, commented on the US administration's decision to leave unchanged the duties already in force, equal to 25% of the value, on imports of agri-food products from the EU. "Since the entry into force of the duties - he added - the turnover in the US market has decreased by an average of 35%. We are witnessing a progressive drop in the sales margin as the Companies have had to take on the task of reabsorbing part of the duties without affect the market, to the detriment above all of the medium-small enterprises that make up a large part of the productive fabric ". The mood of Piero Mastroberardino, President of the Federvini Wines Group was different, saying: "The American market represents the first outlet for our wine. According to the latest data, the overall export in value, in 2019, reached 1 billion € 750 million and 4.2% year-on-year growth But this trend is likely to slow down. Damocles' sword of duties remains, however, on our products: in 6 months, with the new round of the carousel, our companies , they will be anxious again, because they have no way of predicting exactly how to plan investments and plan the business ".
Parmigiano Reggiano, worked in the right direction
"The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium welcomes the news that the US has decided not to raise the 25% duties imposed on various European products last October. We worked in the right direction, teaming up with the other Geographical Indications, firmly believing that the European Commission was the only table to negotiate, avoiding to waste energy by carrying out different interests by the individual representation classes ". This is the comment by Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium who underlines the need to keep "strong nerves and believe more in Europe as an institution: this is the right approach to fight a battle that is only at the beginning and which will see Parmigiano Reggiano at the forefront, considering that the American market represents for us the second foreign market, with 10 thousand tons of product exported every year and enormous growth capacity ". The fact that the US has decided not to further increase tariffs "will certainly bring a more relaxed and objective climate and - we hope - a rebalancing of the market with a higher original price", he concludes.