July 30, 2025 14:04

Italy’s Amaplast association, which represents more than 170 manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing equipment, has described the tariff deal signed in Scotland by U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a major setback for European industry.

The agreement imposes a flat 15% duty on a broad range of EU goods while leaving in place the existing 50% tariff on European steel.

For Italian machinery builders, the United States accounts for roughly 10% of annual turnover. Amaplast warns that the new tariff schedule, combined with a weak dollar and sluggish global demand, could sharply restrict access to a strategic export market.

The association is urging Brussels and Rome to secure clear exemption lists and to press for removal of the steel duty. It also hopes that plastics and rubber processing equipment — of which more than 70% is exported — will be excluded from the new measures.

“This is not an agreement; it’s more like a surrender,” said Amaplast President Massimo Margaglione. “In a global context already affected by a weakened dollar and sluggish demand, a blanket 15% tariff is a devastating blow for our companies, which have always driven Italian exports through quality, technology and reliability.”

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