On 25 June 2026, the Council of the European Union (Environment) adopted two legislative acts: a Regulation adjusting customs duties and opening tariff quotas for certain US-origin goods, and a Regulation on non-application of customs duties on certain imports. The decisions, taken under the ordinary legislative procedure, directly affect EU trade policy and importers of US goods.
The Council approved the Regulation on US goods (document 10701/26 + ADD 1, PE-CONS 32/26) under Article 294(4) TFEU, with legal basis Article 207(2) TFEU. Joint statements by the European Parliament and Commission, as well as a Commission statement, are annexed. The second Regulation on non-application of customs duties (10700/26, PE-CONS 31/26) was adopted under the same procedure.
Beyond the legislative items, the Council took note of a progress report on CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (10065/1/26 REV 1) and held exchanges of views on the Water Resilience Strategy (10288/1/26 REV 1), Nature/Business/Biodiversity (10286/26), and the REACH Regulation (10294/26). Member states also provided information on a range of topics including COP31, high-voltage switchgear, the LIFE Regulation, MED9 meeting, COP15 CMS, UNCCD COP17, packaging waste, plastic pollution treaty, invasive alien species, ultra-fast fashion, Circular Economy Act, permitting procedures, fossil fuel transition, and the incoming Irish Presidency work programme.
The adopted regulations are expected to have moderate impact on EU importers of US goods, who may benefit from reduced duties or tariff quotas, while EU producers in competing sectors could face increased competition. The environmental discussions signal ongoing policy attention to CO2 standards and water resilience, though no decisions were taken on those files. The Council's next steps include forwarding the adopted regulations for publication in the Official Journal and continued work on the pending environmental dossiers.