Shielding and protection measures of Greek export toward USA Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was indirectly announced yesterday (4.4.25), speaking to the New Democracy parliamentary group.
Specifically, referring to the duties announced by US President Donald Trump, 20% of EU imports (along with Greece), Mr. Mitsotakis described the US decision as “unprecedented” as “essentially to declare a trade war”.
This “has caused a huge global financial upheaval not only in markets but also in trade relations,” he noted.
Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that “On Monday (April 7, 2025), together with the Deputy Prime Minister, we convene the Governmental Council of Economic Policy in order to assess what our national reaction should be, how we must be positioned in the context of the European Union in the face of this great financial crisis and what we can do and what we can do and what we can. Economy. “
Circles of Greek export companies that have contacted newsit.gr hope that there will be an exception to duties in the imports of Greek food in the US.
The main food exported to the US is edible olive, The exports of which reached 2024 were jumped to € 201 million by a total of 633 million food exports and EUR 2.4 billion exports, according to figures released by the Northern Greece Exporters Association (SEVE) yesterday.
In other words, edible olives are 1/3 of food exports and almost 1/10 of all exports to the US.
The same sources told Newsit.gr that there are already Greek exporters (in collaboration with the Greek government) contacts with the US both at the diplomatic and political level in order to achieve one An agreement to exemplify Greek food exports from tariffs. This is the first goal.
If this is not achieved, then The second goal is to drop the duty rate to 10%.
Such a duty, the same sources say, could be absorbed by 2/3 by both food importers in the US and exporters, through the simultaneous reduction of their profit margin by 2% – 3%, resulting in a very low increase in the final price for the US consumer.
However, in the event that this goal is not achieved, that is, the duty factor falls from 20% to 10%, then there will obviously have visible impact on Greek food and olive exports to the US. which should be addressed by decisive Community and national measures in order to have significant damage to Greek export companies.
At the national level, the government demanded by the government’s export companies is the immediate abolition of a 0.6% billing on their bank loans, the provision of discounts for research costs, but also to support new markets, such as China, India, Canada, and all of Europe, the subsidy of export companies. Therefore, only at European level, immediate support for export companies could be taken.
For example, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez mainly proposed a financial mechanism that would allow businesses most affected by the trade war to maintain their employees’ jobs until they return to their normal activity, he explained.
Pedro Sanchez also said that he would ask the European Union to set up a fund funded by US duties, which will increase in response to the increase in US duties.