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Trade between the EU and the USA is hindered by non-tariff barriers, said Minister Vlček

by AI | 24.Nov 2025 | Europe in brief AI

In trade relations between the EU and the USA, non-tariff measures play a significant role. These are all trade restrictions that are not tariffs but still affect the flow of goods and services across borders.

Flags of the USA and the EU. Photo: EP

Brussels – The trade ministers of the European Union countries held an open two-hour debate with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during today’s lunch in Brussels, discussing how to further develop transatlantic trade relations. This was stated by Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček after the meeting. Lutnick, along with the U.S. government’s trade representative Jamieson Greer, attended official talks with EU representatives for the first time.

“I personally have to say that I enjoyed the lunch,” Vlček told Czech journalists. According to him, he reiterated what he has been saying for several months, namely that “the problem of the largest trade relationship in the world may not be the level of certain tariff components, but non-tariff components.”

Non-tariff measures play a significant role in trade relations between the EU and the USA. These are all trade restrictions that are not tariffs but still affect the flow of goods and services across borders. They include rules stemming from differing regulations, standards, or administration.

“The Americans mentioned this as well, and we emphasize it in every individual statement that if we want to build a unified European market, we must remove internal barriers and non-tariff components,” said the Czech minister. This is precisely what, according to Vlček, “holds Europe back.”

The July agreement between the EU and the USA established a 15 percent tariff on most goods imported from the European Union into the United States. Exceptions include aircraft and related parts, generic pharmaceutical products, and certain agricultural products and chemical industry goods. The agreement also included commitments to continue working on issues such as addressing steel exports and non-tariff barriers. The European Union still faces a 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum exports to the USA. The European Commission wants to introduce a quota system that would allow for reduced tariffs on part of the metal exports. (November 24)