{"text":[[{"start":7.5,"text":"The US government has softened its stance on proposed tariffs that would have roughly doubled the cost of Italian pasta brands, as Donald Trump’s administration faces political pressure over the high cost of living."}],[{"start":23.04,"text":"The US had accused 13 Italian pasta companies, including Barilla and premium brands such as La Molisana and Pastificio Lucio Garofalo, of unfairly dumping their products in America and in October threatened retaliatory duties of as much as 92 per cent."}],[{"start":44.59,"text":"But on New Year’s Day, Italy’s government said the US Department of Commerce had slashed the planned additional tariffs to a range of between 2 per cent and 14 per cent."}],[{"start":56.84,"text":"The commerce department later cautioned it had not made a final decision on what duties would be imposed on the pasta producers."}],[{"start":66.32000000000001,"text":"It said a “preliminary” analysis published on Wednesday showed Italian pasta makers had “addressed many of Commerce’s concerns”."}],[{"start":76.56,"text":"It said the final results of the department’s analysis would be announced on March 12, and import duties would only be changed after that."}],[{"start":85.81,"text":"The White House has rolled back Trump-imposed tariffs on more than 200 food products, amid voter concerns about the cost of living and high consumer prices."}],[{"start":97.41,"text":"Any additional duties on the pasta makers would come on top of the 15 per cent tariff the US president has placed on most imports from the EU."}],[{"start":108.96,"text":"The Trump administration’s proposals had sparked outrage in Rome and Brussels."}],[{"start":115.36,"text":"The planned duties created a diplomatic problem for Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has enjoyed friendly relations with the US president. The European Commission had pledged to intervene in the dispute if required."}],[{"start":129.94,"text":"Coldiretti, Italy’s agribusiness association, had warned the tariffs would be a “fatal blow” to Italian pasta makers, saying about half the value of Italy’s dry pasta exports to the US would be affected."}],[{"start":145.22,"text":"The US imported about €671mn worth of pasta from Italy in 2024. The US government has said the 13 companies account for 16 per cent of pasta imported from Italy to the country."}],[{"start":161.76,"text":"The Italian government on Thursday said the commerce department planned to set much lower rates for the pasta brands after the preliminary review."}],[{"start":172.16,"text":"Rome said the duty for La Molisana would be slashed to 2.26 per cent, while the rate for Garofalo would be set at about 14 per cent. The remaining 11 pasta producers would face tariffs of 9.09 per cent, Italy’s foreign ministry said."}],[{"start":191.39,"text":"Those figures broadly match the “weighted-average dumping margin” from the US commerce department’s analysis, published later on Thursday."}],[{"start":200.22,"text":"Italy’s foreign ministry said: “The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to co-operate.”"}],[{"start":211.4,"text":"The shift on pasta levies came a day after the White House said it was delaying tariff increases on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for another year."}],[{"start":224.88,"text":"Import duties on kitchen cabinets and vanities had been set to rise from 25 per cent to 50 per cent on January 1, while tariffs on upholstered furniture were expected to go up from 25 per cent to 30 per cent."}],[{"start":240.57999999999998,"text":"But the White House on Wednesday said the US “continues to engage in productive negotiations with trade partners” and would delay the planned increase in tariff rates “for an additional year”."}],[{"start":262.59999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1767486518_6538.mp3"}