EACC SPIRITS TRADE FORUM
Bridging Risk and Opportunity: Strengthening Transatlantic Collaboration in the Spirits Trade
The EU and U.S. spirits sectors are the most important spirits markets in the world and are deeply interconnected through bilateral trade, investment flows, and shared production practices. Many companies own brands on both sides of the Atlantic.
Trade tensions between the EU and U.S. have significantly impacted the spirits industry, with retaliatory tariffs imposed and later suspended in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Airbus – Boeing and the steel and aluminum disputes. These suspensions are temporary, with the risk of tariffs on American whiskeys up to 50% returning as early as March 2025 if no long-term agreements are reached, creating ongoing uncertainty for the industry.
The spirits industries on both sides of the Atlantic are requesting the permanent removal of all retaliatory tariffs on beverage alcohol products. This highlights the importance of continued negotiations to avoid potential economic impacts, particularly as key dates approach that could result in the reimposition of tariffs if resolutions are not reached.
The EU and U.S. distilled spirits industries have a long history of working together in close coordination with their respective governments to support efforts to open overseas markets and address discriminatory excise taxes and non-tariff barriers to trade. This has included the close work of the EU and U.S. to tackle a wide range of the non-tariff barriers impacting spirits imports in third markets through the WTO.
Both industries are also united in their efforts to achieve environmental and social sustainability goals, working together to promote responsible practices that benefit the global spirits market and contribute to broader sustainability initiatives.
Join us for a panel on the challenges facing the EU and U.S. spirits industries, where experts will discuss the impact of potential tariffs, business uncertainty, and strategies for preventing further trade disruptions.
PANELISTS
- Lionel Lalagüe, Director, Public & International Affairs, Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), Vice-Chair of spiritsEurope‘s International Trade Committee.
- Robert Maron, Senior Vice President, International Trade Policy and Market Access, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Chair of the Agricultural Technical Committee for Trade (ATAC) in Processed Foods.
- Nicolas Ozanam, Director General, Fédération des Exportateurs de Vins et Spiritueux (FEVS) de France.
- Rufino Hurtado, Senior Trade Representative, U.S. Mission to the European Union, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
- Meredith Fensom [Moderator], Founder & Principal of Lyra Global
LOCATION
Hôtel de Talleyrand
George C. Marshall Center
2 rue Saint Florentin, 75001 Paris
Métro: Concorde
With the support of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Pernod Ricard, Moët Hennessy, and Spirits Europe.
*By invitation only. For more information, or to request invitations for more than one representative per member company, please contact Catherine Zdziechowski
Speakers
-
Meredith FensomFounder & Principal of Lyra GlobalMeredith Fensom, the Founder of Lyra Global, brings a wealth of global leadership experience in public affairs, strategic communications, and investor relations. Incorporated in France and the United States, Lyra Global is a bridge between continents, cultures, and markets.
With a business and legal background, she is a recognized expert bringing first-in-class products to market and navigating highly regulated industries.
Before launching her own firm, Meredith was the Head of Global Public Affairs for Oxitec, Ltd.; Head of Global Public Affairs for the publicly traded Intrexon Corporation (renamed Precigen, Inc.); Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) founding Director for International Affairs; manager of an agricultural trade business and policy consulting firm; Special Assistant in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office of the Americas; and founding Director of the University of Florida’s Law & Policy in the Americas Program.
-
Robert MaronVice President, International Trade at Distilled Spirits CouncilRobert is a results-driven and accomplished professional with a strong background in international trade policy and the beverage alcohol sector, skilled in driving global trade initiatives, fostering stakeholder relationships, and advocating for business interests.
-
Rufino HurtadoSenior Trade Representative, U.S. Mission to the European UnionRufino Hurtado is the Senior Trade Representative for USTR in the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. He joined USTR’s Office of Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy in January 2017, serving in a variety of roles, most recently as a Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative.
In his role at USTR, Rufino brings over fifteen years of trade policy experience in the food and agriculture, consumer-packaged goods and professional services sectors. He has extensive experience engaging with trading partner governments, multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, and has covered geographies ranging from Southeast Asia, Korea, China, Europe, and Latin America. Among other responsibilities at USTR, he was appointed to lead negotiations for agricultural market access and sanitary and phytosanitary commitments in free trade agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom and Kenya.
Prior to USTR, Rufino was a Director for Global Strategies at the Consumer Brands Association, where he worked with consumer-packaged goods companies to coordinate advocacy with the World Health Organization and its regional bodies, and with governments throughout the Western Hemisphere on nutrition and commercial policies. He has also served as an International Trade Specialist at both the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture.
Rufino has a Master’s Degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from George Washington University, and a Bachelors in Business Administration and Political Science from Adelphi University. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
