The EU is planning further countervailing duties on goods from the USA. The special levies on products such as tomato ketchup, handbags, game consoles and helicopters should compensate for the damage caused by illegal subsidies for the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, as the responsible European Commission announced.
EU starts from billions of damages
The damage was estimated by the Brussels authority last to about twelve billion dollars (10.6 billion euros) per year and justified mainly by competitive disadvantages for the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
To prevent the counter-duties from causing serious damage to European companies, the EU Commission launched a public consultation process on its product list, which should last until the end of May.
Since the product list includes annual imports of around $ 20 billion (€ 17.7 billion), it will have to be cut anyway. In addition, a mediator of the World Trade Organization must give the go-ahead for the special duties.
US plans new tariffs
Just last week, the US also had plans for additional tariffs on various imports from the EU. They are based on the fact that, according to a WTO ruling, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has also received billions in illegal state aid.
In March 2012, the WTO classified a number of state-run billions of US subsidies as illegal for Boeing and called for the end of these subsidies. In May 2018, however, the organization also reprimanded EU state aid for Airbus.
US special duties are due annually on goods worth around $ 11 billion (€ 9.7 billion). In addition to products and components for the aviation industry, these include numerous other goods such as a number of cheeses, olive oil, oranges or seafood.
The Trump government uses tariffs or their threat in a series of conflicts as leverage. The US president accuses the EU of unfair trade practices, imposed special tariffs on steel and aluminum, and threatened to impose surcharges on European cars.
