Letter to the Hon. Robert Lighthizer, Trade Representative for the United States - Collins, King, Pingree Push U.S. Trade Representative on EU Tariff Relief for Lobster Industry
Letter
Dear Ambassador Lighthizer:
We appreciate your continued advocacy for tariff relief on American lobster in your ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union, as indicated by recent your correspondence with European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström. Eliminating the E.U. tariff on American lobster would expand a valuable market for Maine lobster producers and dealers.
As we stressed to you previously, the current eight percent E.U. tariff on live American lobster puts the Maine lobster industry at a significant competitive disadvantage compared to its Canadian competitor, which enjoys tariff-free access to the E.U. market under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Canadian industry is poised to reap even greater benefits when the E.U. tariffs on frozen and processed lobster are phased out under CETA, while tariffs ranging from 16 to 20 percent remain on frozen and processed American lobster. Having all but lost the large and growing Chinese export market due to retaliatory Chinese tariffs on American lobster, Maine lobster producers and dealers must find new customers for our state's most iconic product. European buyers would undoubtedly purchase more Maine lobster if, like Canadian lobster, our product entered the E.U. tariff-free.
Commissioner Malmström indicated in her November 6 to you that the E.U. "could certainly address your concerns about E.U. tariffs on products such as lobster," but that "given the WTO constraints on bilateral preferences, this should be as part of a wider agreement." While we understand the need for a wider agreement on U.S-E.U. trade, we believe that securing a deal with the E.U. that immediately eliminates E.U. tariffs on Maine lobster should remain a priority.
We urge you to continue to strive for the elimination of the E.U. tariff on Maine lobster. Our fishermen and dealers deserve tariff-free access to the European market, and we look forward to continuing our work with you to achieve that goal.
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