- Italy's foreign ministry announces US duty cuts.
- Sharp reductions on proposed pasta import tariffs.
- Targets several major Italian pasta makers.
The United States announced in October that 13 Italian pasta companies would be subject to an additional 92% duty starting in January 2026, on top of the standard 15% rate on most imports from the European Union. The United States accused two specific producers, La Molisana and Garofalo, of selling pasta at unjustly low prices.
However, the Italian foreign ministry stated in a statement that following a review, the US Department of Commerce lowered the duty on La Molisana to 2.26 percent while Garofalo's rate was set at 13.98 percent.
A tariff of 9.09 percent is imposed on the other 11 manufacturers who were not specifically looked at in the study.
"The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US authorities recognise our companies' constructive willingness to co-operate,"
the foreign ministry said.
It further stated that the ministry will continue to assist the impacted enterprises in the upcoming weeks and that the complete findings of the US review would be made public on March 11.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had believed that her close relationship with US President Donald Trump would protect Italian businesses from further duties, but the planned pasta penalties had embarrassed her.
According to figures from the national statistics office ISTAT, Italy's total pasta exports were valued at over 4 billion euros ($A7 billion) in 2024.
What reasons did the US Department of Commerce give for the reassessment?
No specific reasons from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the pasta tariff reassessment were detailed in available reports. Italy's foreign ministry stated the cuts followed a review of the directors' U.S. conditioning, inferring the companies handed substantiation of fair pricing and limited jilting, leading to loweranti-dumping perimeters.
The U.S. Department of Commerce sprucely reduced proposedanti-dumping duties on 13 Italian pasta makers from over to 92 (plus the standard 15 EU tariff) to much lower rates following a reassessment of their U.S. request conditioning.
La Molisana drops to 2.26, Garofalo to 13.98, and the other 11 directors to 9.09; final determinations come March 11, 2026. Italy's foreign ministry hailed the cuts as recognition of" genuine amenability to cooperate" after months of addresses, sparing $800 million in periodic U.S. pasta significances from crippling hikes.