The European Commission will keep pressing for a preferential tariff for wine and spirits exports to the US that would spare the sector the 15% rate applied on most items under the EU-US trade deal, the EU's trade commissioner said on Thursday. The same rate also applies to EU wine and spirits exports, despite industry efforts to get a lower, or even zero rate. That message was echoed by Herve Dumesny, director general of European industry group spiritsEUROPE. "This means reaffirming the support for our sector across the Atlantic by removing US tariffs on EU spirits and lifting any suspended EU retaliatory measures on US products." The EU announced a six-month suspension of retaliatory tariffs on US imports, including distilled spirits and wine, on August 5, according to the US spirits council.