Greek exports to the United States have held firm through the first eight months of 2025, weathering the turbulence created by President Donald Trump’s tariff increases and months of uncertainty over the future of transatlantic trade.
According to a report by the commercial office of the Greek Embassy in Washington, Greek shipments to the American market totaled 1.57 billion euros during that period, essentially unchanged from a year earlier. The report shows a marginal decline of 0.07 percent, a figure that underscores the sector’s resilience amid political volatility and shifting trade rules.
The stability masks sharp differences inside the export portfolio. Sales of agricultural products dipped, including olives, cheeses, peaches and prepared foods. Kiwis were the only notable exception, benefiting from a continued zero tariff rate.
Those losses, however, were more than offset by a surge in industrial goods, many of which now face significantly higher duties. Aluminum sheets posted strong gains. Shipments of iron pipes used in oil and gas infrastructure multiplied. Exports of aircraft components rose more than expected.
Notably, the steepest increases came in categories subject to a 50 percent tariff, suggesting that large contracts, steady demand and limited global competition helped insulate Greek exporters from the new costs.
The policy backdrop, however, remains unsettled. The United States and the European Union have yet to finalize a comprehensive trade agreement, leaving key provisions unresolved.
The debate resurfaced last weekend in Brussels, where U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick attended a meeting of EU trade ministers. European officials reiterated concerns about tariff levels that went into effect earlier this year, but the talks produced no commitments from Washington to ease them.
A new baseline duty of 15 percent on most European products, introduced in August, is now the central point of contention. The European Commission is seeking more favorable treatment for hundreds of strategic product categories.
Greece has urged Brussels to prioritize olives, olive oil and wine, which represent significant national exports and bear considerable market risk under the new regime.
Non-tariff issues are also looming. Greece retained its equivalence status for exports of fishery products, a designation that allows its seafood to enter the American market. But a recent report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration raised concerns over Greece’s protections for sea turtles, issuing a negative certification.
The finding does not affect current trade, largely because Greek fishing vessels do not operate outside the Mediterranean. Still, the warning gives Washington potential grounds to restrict fishery imports in the future.
For now, Greek exporters appear to have adapted. Food shipments have softened but remain durable. Industrial exports are expanding. Whether this balance can withstand the full impact of the new tariff system will become clear in the months ahead.
What is evident is that conditions once thought likely to disrupt trade have so far produced a more stable outcome than many anticipated.
