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For now, the EU wants to forgo the possibility of imposing punitive tariffs on US imports due to illegal subsidies for aircraft maker Boeing. “We clearly prefer a negotiated solution,” said the vice-president of the EU Commission responsible for trade policy, Valdis Dombrovskis. The EU will immediately contact the US to decide next steps.
You only want to resort to possible punitive tariffs if you cannot reach an agreement. If there is no negotiated solution, the EU will be forced to defend its interests and respond appropriately, Dombrovskis said.
Reinhard Bütikofer, transatlantic spokesman for the Greens / ALE group, also spoke out against the introduction of tariffs. “The United States took punitive measures related to Airbus subsidies against the EU as soon as it could,” Bütikofer said. “We Europeans should be a little more patient.” Instead, we should jointly ensure that China does not take advantage of the dispute and “take the butter off their bread” in the future.
France’s Minister of Economy calls for hardship
Independent arbitrators had decided that the EU could impose punitive tariffs on US imports worth nearly four billion dollars (3.4 billion euros) a year. In a similar case, US arbitrators had already approved punitive tariffs on EU products worth $ 7.5 billion due to unauthorized subsidies for Airbus. Then the US introduced excise duties on EU products that are still valid today.
In view of the decision, the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, once again called for the immediate withdrawal of these tariffs. “In the current context, trade sanctions only further harm our economies, which are in an unprecedented crisis,” Le Maire said. Until that happens, the EU will have to restore the balance of power and stand firm. “The EU must impose sanctions once the WTO has given its formal approval,” Le Maire said.
Bernd Lange: “The EU should not be naive”
SPD politician and head of the European Parliament’s trade committee, Bernd Lange, warned against too large a concession. If there is no constructive commitment from the United States after the presidential elections, “the EU should not be naive,” Lange said. Instead, it should enforce its rights by introducing the tariffs that WTO rules now allow for the EU.
Until then, however, it should be negotiated. “I sincerely hope that this decision is an incentive to end these disputes through a negotiated solution. That must remain the top priority, because at times like these we must work together more than ever and not each other,” Lange said.
