EU Pushes for €150 Billion Tariff Exemption from US Under the Turnberry Deal

The EU fully implemented its side: the European Parliament and Council approved the tariff-cutting regulations in May–June 2026, and EU duties on US industrial goods were eliminated as of July 1, 2026 . The EU also extended duty-free status for US lobster imports .

The Asymmetric Ask: Exemptions After Compliance

The Commission's new request is an asymmetric ask: the EU wants Washington to unilaterally exempt a broad swath of goods from the 15% duty, arguing it has already fulfilled its obligations and that the exemptions are needed to "restore balance" . The list, obtained by Euronews and Euractiv, includes hundreds of products spanning food, beverages, medical devices, and machinery . For dairy, the list specifically seeks duty-free treatment for Roquefort cheese and other blue cheeses, while wine, spirits, beer, and olive oil are also prominent targets .

This is not the EU's first attempt to secure exemptions. In November 2025, the Commission prepared a similar plea to shield wine and spirits from tariffs, submitting a 27-page list to the Trump administration . That earlier effort did not yield the desired result, and the products remained covered by the 15% tariff.

The Digital Regulation Complication

The exemption push is sharply complicated by ongoing US-EU friction over the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA), which Washington says disproportionately target American tech giants.

The Trump administration has repeatedly raised the DSA and DMA as obstacles to trade during transatlantic talks, and US counterparts have "explicitly mentioned" them as a source of tension in trade discussions . In February 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum threatening tariffs on countries that hinder "American companies' global competitiveness," explicitly targeting the US tech sector and the EU's digital regulatory framework . The memorandum singled out several EU member states for having implemented digital services taxes or regulations.

The US has escalated beyond rhetoric: in January 2026, the State Department imposed visa restrictions on five European officials involved in drafting the DMA and DSA . The US has also threatened new tariffs in retaliation for EU digital services taxes and regulations, potentially jeopardizing the entire 15% tariff ceiling established by the Turnberry deal . The Trump administration has issued an ultimatum, threatening to deploy “every tool at its disposal” to retaliate, including fees on European services like Spotify and DHL .

The EU has publicly insisted the digital rules are not on the table in trade negotiations and are "non-negotiable" , but Washington continues to link the two issues . European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera warned that the EU must be ready to rethink its trade relationship with the US if Washington presses ahead with its attacks on the DSA and DMA .

Outlook: A High-Stakes Bargaining Window

The Commission's €150 billion exemption request arrives at a moment of maximum friction. The US views the Turnberry deal's 15% tariff as already a compromise, while the EU argues it has fully complied and now deserves reciprocal relief. However, the unresolved digital regulation dispute gives Washington a strong incentive to withhold concessions — and the White House has already signaled it may use tariff threats as leverage against the DMA/DSA regime . The deadline for full US compliance with the Turnberry deal is December 31, 2026, making this a high-stakes bargaining window . If the US fails to meet its commitments by that date, the EU's "sunrise clause" could potentially delay or suspend its own tariff reductions on US goods .