Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/295 of 4 February 2026 suspending commercial rebalancing measures concerning certain products originating in the United States of America and certain products exported from the Union to the United States of America imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 654/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 concerning the exercise of the Union’s rights for the application and enforcement of international trade rules and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 3286/94 laying down Community procedures in the field of common commercial policy in order to ensure the exercise of the Community’s rights under international trade rules, in particular those established under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (1), and in particular Article 7(3) and (4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) On 24 July 2025 the Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 (2) that provides for the application of additional customs duties on imports into the Union of specified products originating in the United States of America (‘the United States’) as well as for the application of restrictions on the export to the United States of certain products originating in the Union (‘the rebalancing measures’).

(2) The measures imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 were aimed at counter-balancing the safeguard measures in the form of additional customs duties which the United States had introduced on imports of certain steel and aluminium products and steel and aluminium derivative products, certain passenger vehicles and light trucks, certain automobile parts, certain beer and empty aluminium cans, and a wide range of agriculture, fishery and other industrial products, originating in the Union, referred to in recitals 1 to 7 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564.

(3) On 27 July 2025 the Union and the United States reached a political agreement as regards their trade relationship and subsequently confirmed by the EU-US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025 (3), providing, among others, for immediate tariff relief for Union imports to the United States. As a result, the United States modified certain tariffs applicable to Union imports in line with the Joint Statement, reducing the applicable rate to a maximum of a 15 % ad valorem and the United States and the Union remain committed to making progress to ensure the full implementation of the Joint Statement.

(4) On 5 August 2025, following the urgency procedure provided under Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), the Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1727 (5) suspending for six months, as from 6 August 2025, commercial rebalancing measures concerning certain products originating in the United States and certain products exported from the Union to the United States imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564.

(5) In light of the developments referred to in recital 3, and to ensure continued implementation of the political agreement, the application of the Union’s rebalancing measures should continue to be suspended. Accordingly, no written notice to the Council for Trade in Goods of the World Trade Organization as regards the application of those measures is currently necessary and the submission of that notice should be suspended.

(6) The Commission should keep the suspension under review in light of further developments in the trade relations with the United States and may take further actions.

(7) This Regulation is without prejudice to the Union’s position considering that the safeguard measures of the United States remain incompatible with the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

(8) Given the need to ensure that the suspension provided under this Regulation applies as from 7 February 2026, this Regulation should enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Trade Barriers Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The application of Articles 1, 2 and 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 shall be suspended.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall apply from 7 February 2026 to 6 August 2026.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 4 February 2026.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 50, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/654/oj.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 of 24 July 2025 on commercial rebalancing measures concerning certain products originating in the United States of America and certain products exported from the Union to the United States of America, and repealing Implementing Regulations (EU) 2018/724, (EU) 2018/886, (EU) 2020/502 and (EU) 2025/778 (OJ L, 2025/1564, 24.7.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1564/oj).

(3) Joint Statement on a United States-European Union Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade of 21 August 2025, https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/joint-statement-united-states-european-union-framework-agreement-reciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade-2025-08-21_en.

(4) Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/182/oj).

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1727 of 5 August 2025 suspending commercial rebalancing measures concerning certain products originating in the United States of America and certain products exported from the Union to the United States of America imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 (OJ L, 2025/1727, 5.8.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1727/oj).