“We regret the option of the United States to advance tariffs in the case of Airbus, but that leaves the European Union [UE] with no alternative but to apply their own fares to Boeing, “warned European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan today, speaking at an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Phil Hogan, who is in the United States for a series of meetings with the US administration, alluded to the Washington-Brussels trade dispute created by US (Boeing) and European (Airbus) public aviation aid.
Despite the warning, which has now risen sharply in light of similar warnings already made, the European Commissioner underlined in his speech that the EU and the United States have a “joint responsibility to sit down and negotiate a balanced settlement in order to settle these disputes.” side”.
“Tariffing one after the other is not in anyone’s long-term interest. Tariffs are really just another form of taxation for businesses and consumers, reducing economic growth, wages and jobs,” said Phil Hogan, in the speech to which Lusa had access.
He said he had submitted “concrete proposals” to the United States, including his representative for this area, Robert E. Lighthizer, for “clearly identified subsidies and future support for our respective aeronautical sectors”, but did not elaborate.
“This is the real challenge [chegar a um consenso]. If we continue to defeat, future risks mean losing to new competitors, “he concluded, alluding to the economic rise of other powers, such as China.
In early October, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled in favor of the United States and authorized the country to apply additional tariffs of $ 7.5 billion (almost seven billion euros) to retaliatory European products. EU aid to the French aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
This was the heaviest sanction ever imposed by that organization.
However, last December, WTO judges argued that these additional tariffs should be reduced by about $ 2 billion to close to $ 5 billion (almost the same in euros).
This allows 10% customs duties on aeronautics and 25% on agriculture across the EU.
What Brussels now intends to do is to take similar measures when it has a WTO green light, as Washington was also found guilty of supporting Boeing.
Transatlantic trade in goods and services between the EU and the United States is more than $ 3 billion a day (almost the same in euros).
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