The EU-US deal took effect July 1, 2026: most EU goods now pay a 15% all-inclusive ceiling instead of MFN + 10% Section 122. Re-run your EU landed costs before quoting. Recalculate your EU import duty →
Imports from EU countries now pay a **15% all-inclusive US tariff** under the EU-US trade deal that took effect July 1, 2026. That's the headline — and unlike the last regime, the 15% is a ceiling, not a surcharge: it includes MFN rather than stacking on it, and goods with MFN rates of 15% or higher pay MFN only. Autos dropped from 27.5% to 15%. Steel and aluminum still pay 50% Section 232. And because the deal rate replaced Section 122 for the bloc, EU goods were insulated from the July 24, 2026 Section 122 expiry — and its replacement by the Section 301 forced-labor tariff — that sent every other origin scrambling. Here's what EU imports actually cost US buyers right now, with real math.
Current EU Tariff Structure Under the July 1 Deal
As of July 1, 2026, the 15% all-inclusive ceiling is the baseline for every EU member state — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ireland. The Council of the EU adopted the implementing regulations June 25, and the deal replaced the 10% Section 122 rate for the bloc. The mechanics: goods with MFN below 15% pay a total of 15% (MFN included, no stacking); goods with MFN at or above 15% pay MFN only, with no surcharge. The ceiling applies in lieu of Section 232 for autos, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. Two carveouts still hit hard: steel and aluminum from EU origin stay at 50% Section 232 (subject to further negotiation, along with alcoholic beverages), and nothing in the deal touches MPF/HMF fees. From September 1, 2026, aircraft and aircraft parts, cork and other unavailable natural resources, and generic pharmaceuticals go to MFN-only treatment.
Worked Example: $25,000 German Machinery Shipment
Take a $25,000 CIF shipment of German CNC machinery under HTS 8458.11.00 (MFN 4.4%). Under the deal, the total tariff is a flat 15% all-inclusive = $3,750 — the 4.4% MFN is folded into the ceiling, not added on top. Add MPF at 0.3464% ($86.60) and HMF at 0.125% ($31.25) for ocean arrivals. Total landed duty: $3,867.85 — 15.5% of shipment value. For comparison: under the February-June Section 122 regime the same container paid $1,100 MFN + $2,500 Section 122 = $3,600 (14.4%), and under the old 20% IEEPA rate it paid roughly $5,225 (20.9%). So low-MFN EU goods ticked slightly up on July 1 — the deal's big wins are elsewhere: autos, the pharma/semiconductor caps, and rate certainty across the July 24, 2026 Section 122 expiry. Run your own numbers in the landed cost calculator before committing to a PO.
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Steel and Aluminum — The 50% Outlier
EU steel and aluminum never got relief — the deal explicitly leaves metals subject to further negotiation. Section 232 tariffs sit under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — national security authority, legally separate from IEEPA — and the administration doubled the rate from 25% to 50% in June 2025. On a $50,000 coil of German hot-rolled steel under HTS 7208: 50% Section 232 = $25,000 total duty (steel is MFN-free, and neither Section 122 nor the deal's 15% ceiling stacks on the metal — an article wholly of steel pays 50%, not more). Derivative steel articles pay the 25% tier on full customs value. It's why most US construction and auto buyers shifted steel sourcing to Canada and Mexico — though USMCA's 0% MFN doesn't exempt Section 232 either. The UK cut a separate deal: 25% under the Economic Prosperity Deal. The EU is still at 50%.
Sector Rates Across the EU
Outside of steel and aluminum, the 15% ceiling does most of the work. Electronics, machinery, aerospace parts (0-2.5% MFN): 15% total. German autos (HTS 8703): the deal's 15% applies in lieu of the 25% Section 232 auto tariff — on a $60,000 BMW 5 Series that's $9,000 per unit, down from $16,500 (27.5%) before July 1. Pharmaceuticals: capped at 15% by the deal — including branded pharma, which shields EU producers from the 100% branded-pharma tariff that took effect July 31, 2026 for Annex III companies (the separate onshoring-agreement deadline that cuts the rate to 20% was June 12); generics from the EU go to MFN-only (typically 0%) on September 1. Semiconductors: capped at 15% versus 25% Section 232 for non-EU chips. French still wine and Spanish olive oil: the 15% ceiling governs for now, but note alcoholic beverages remain subject to further negotiation under the deal. Aircraft and parts go MFN-only September 1. Always pull the specific 10-digit HTS before quoting — if your MFN rate is at or above 15%, you pay MFN only.
The EU-US Deal Is Now in Force — Timeline
The deal moved fast in its final stretch. May 20, 2026: the Council and European Parliament struck the agreement implementing the tariff elements of the EU-US Joint Statement. May 27: member states backed it. June 25: the Council of the EU formally adopted the two implementing regulations. July 1: the deal took effect on both sides — the US applying the 15% all-inclusive ceiling, the EU eliminating all duties on US industrial goods (US autos into the EU went from 10% to 0%) and improving access for certain non-sensitive agri-food products. Still open: steel and aluminum (50% Section 232 stands) and alcoholic beverages, both flagged for further negotiation. And sector pressure hasn't stopped — on June 18, 2026, USTR opened a Section 301 investigation against Germany over pharmaceutical pricing, a track that runs inside the deal's 15% pharma cap.
What July 24, 2026 Means for EU Imports: Nothing
Section 122's 150-day clock expired July 24, 2026, and its replacement — the Section 301 forced-labor tariff, a 10% standard tier with a 12.5% tier for a 46-economy list (China, Vietnam, and Thailand among them) — took effect the same day. For most of the world, that was a rate cliff. For EU goods, it was a non-event: the deal rate replaced Section 122 for the bloc on July 1, and the 15% ceiling is all-inclusive under its own framework, so neither the expiry nor the Section 301 forced-labor tariff moves EU rates. That certainty is itself worth money in sourcing decisions this summer — an EU supplier at a known 15% may beat an Asian supplier whose rate reset again on July 24. Importers signing 6-month+ contracts should still include duty adjustment clauses for the categories left open (metals, alcohol) and model the September 1 MFN-only carve-outs in the scenario simulator.
Which EU Country Matters Most for Your Sourcing
Germany dominates EU exports to the US — machinery, chemicals, autos, pharma. France ships wine, cosmetics, aerospace parts, and luxury goods. Italy leads on fashion, specialty foods, Ferrari/Lamborghini supercars, and industrial machinery. Spain exports olive oil, wine, and ceramic tiles. Netherlands is mostly a transshipment hub — the 'country of origin' on your commercial invoice often isn't Dutch, it just left from Rotterdam. Ireland is the pharma hub — roughly 30% of US-bound pharmaceutical value comes through Irish operations of Pfizer, J&J, and Eli Lilly. Know the distinction: country of origin drives tariffs, country of export doesn't.
Key Takeaway
EU imports now run on the trade deal, not Section 122: a 15% all-inclusive ceiling on most goods since July 1, 2026, autos down from 27.5% to 15%, pharma and semiconductors capped, and MFN-only treatment for aircraft, cork, and generic pharma from September 1. Steel and aluminum at 50% Section 232 still break the math for heavy industry. The upside nobody should discount: EU rates are now insulated from the July 24 Section 122 expiry and the Section 301 forced-labor tariff that replaced it for everyone else. Use the calculator for your specific HTS and shipment value, and re-check any entry filed since July 1 for the correct rate.
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