The government of Colombian President De la Espriella is working to reach an agreement with the United States to eliminate additional tariffs imposed on some of the South American country’s exports before the end of 2026. Trade Minister Mauricio Gomez Amin said bilateral talks are progressing at a good pace and that negotiating teams from both countries continue to work toward resolving their trade differences.
The goal is to restore market access conditions in the United States for Colombian products affected by the tariff measures adopted by Washington. The United States is one of Colombia’s main trading partners and a key destination for sectors such as flowers, coffee, processed foods, and manufactured goods.
The outcome of the negotiations could therefore affect exporters’ competitiveness, investment, and employment in the country.
Colombia hopes to secure US tariff suspension deal by year-end
Gomez Amin emphasized that talks with U.S. authorities are progressing favorably and that the Colombian government is seeking to reach an understanding before the end of the year.
“Last week, I was in Washington with Ambassador Maria Consuelo Araujo for a candid dialogue. We are making good progress. Our negotiators are sitting at the table right now,” the trade minister said in remarks to the media.
The statement reflects the efforts the new Colombian administration has been making for more than two months to secure the elimination of the tariffs, an objective that has been discussed since De la Espriella won the election in June.
“We are reviewing, article by article, what is best for both countries. That is what we are working on. We are optimistic that we might be able to reach a final agreement in the coming weeks and sign it in December. I cannot guarantee it, but it could happen this year,” Gomez Amin said.
The minister also announced trade agreements with El Salvador and Japan. “Colombia is open to the world. This is about enabling Colombia to export and attract high-level foreign investment in the coming months,” he said.
Señor Presidente @ABDELAESPRIELLA, ¡aquí estamos desde Washington cumpliendo la tarea!
Junto a nuestra embajadora María Consuelo Araújo, hemos adelantado importantes conversaciones con el representante comercial de Estados Unidos, Jamieson Greer, con un objetivo claro: abrir más mercados para nuestras empresas, atraer inversión y traducir esta relación en más crecimiento y empleo para los colombianos.
¡Un verdadero gana-gana entre Colombia y Estados Unidos, nuestro principal socio comercial!
Bajo su liderazgo y siguiendo sus instrucciones, avanzamos en una agenda comercial estratégica basada en la confianza, la reciprocidad y los beneficios mutuos.
¡Seguimos trabajando para convertir estas conversaciones en resultados concretos y buenas noticias para Colombia!
¡Así construimos la Patria Milagro!
— Mauricio Gómez Amín (@MauricioGomezCO) October 14, 2026
From 10% to 12.5%: how tariffs have changed
Negotiations with the United States are taking place amid successive changes in U.S. trade policy. On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on most imports from various countries, including Colombia. The measure took effect on April 5 of that year, ushering in a period of uncertainty for Colombian exporters.
Washington subsequently exempted certain Colombian products from the baseline tariff. These included coffee, bananas, avocados, cocoa, Tahiti limes, and goldenberries, according to trade decisions announced in 2025. These exemptions allowed some agricultural products to retain access to the U.S. market without the additional surcharge.
However, the situation changed again in July 2026. The U.S. government announced an additional 12.5% tariff on Colombia and other economies under investigation for failing to adopt or effectively enforce measures prohibiting imports of goods produced using forced labor.
The new tariff took effect on July 24 and applies to most Colombian imports that are not explicitly exempt. The measure provides exemptions for certain product categories, including raw materials whose availability could be affected by the tariffs and goods subject to other specific duties.
Therefore, the 12.5% tariff does not apply indiscriminately to all Colombian exports; the applicable treatment depends on each product’s classification and specific conditions.
A strategic trade relationship for both countries
The importance of resolving this dispute extends beyond the percentage charged on goods entering the United States. The U.S. market is an essential source of revenue for numerous Colombian companies and for industries that depend on international demand, including flower production, agribusiness, and manufacturing.
In 2024, Colombian exports to the United States reached $14.336 billion, equivalent to 28.9% of the country’s total exports, according to figures released by Colombia’s Ministry of Trade.
An agreement that reduces or eliminates the additional tariffs could improve the competitiveness of Colombian products relative to those from other countries, ease exporters’ costs, and support the continuity of bilateral business. For companies, it would also provide greater predictability when setting prices, negotiating contracts, and planning investments.
The De la Espriella government is betting on negotiations to achieve that outcome before the end of the year. So far, however, despite positive statements and expressions of goodwill from both sides, no agreement has materialized amid the tariff war waged by the Trump administration since last year.