The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), the industry federation representing the interests of all Belgian diamond companies, has expressed relief and satisfaction following the European Commission’s decision not to impose reciprocal import tariffs on polished diamonds originating from the United States. The tariffs had been considered as part of a broader package of countermeasures in response to import duties imposed by U.S. President Trump. According to AWDC, European import tariffs would have significantly harmed Belgium’s diamond industry, without meaningfully impacting the U.S.
We are very happy and grateful that our lobbying efforts over the past few weeks have led to the European Commission’s decision not to impose import tariffs on diamonds exported from the U.S. to Belgium,” said Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of AWDC. “It’s common practice in our industry for diamonds to be shipped multiple times between Belgium and the U.S. — for example, to obtain a grading report from one of the major diamond labs based there. Without this decision, those same diamonds would have been subject to import tariffs not once, but twice: upon entry into the U.S. and again when returning to Europe.
AWDC also questioned how such reciprocal import tariffs would meaningfully affect the U.S. “From both a political and economic perspective, the impact on the U.S. would be negligible,” Rentmeesters explained. “The U.S. doesn’t mine diamonds, and an additional import tariff would only make diamonds more expensive — a cost neither the customer nor the trader is willing to absorb. That would only further depress diamond demand, which is already at a historic low, with serious consequences for the entire diamond sector.”
Rentmeesters added that the decision clearly demonstrates that both the Belgian government and the European Union recognize and actively support the strategic importance of Belgium’s diamond industry and the principle of free trade in diamonds. “We deeply appreciate this thoughtful and balanced European trade policy and will continue to advocate for it,” she concluded.
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