PARIS – The European Union and United States should “pause” their long-running tariff disagreement to allow the issue to be resolved, suggested France’s foreign minister today.
A 16-year spat over aircraft subsidies has turned increasingly sour under the Donald Trump administration, expanding to other products and sectors, and France’s suggestion comes ahead of president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.
“The issue that poisons everyone is that of the price increases and taxes on steel, digital technology, Airbus, and particularly, our wine sector,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in an interview with Journal du Dimanche.
“If we could quickly find a method to settle this dispute with Europe and France, that would be a step forward.
“It may take time, but in the meantime, we can always order a pause.”
At the end of 2020, Washington announced new tariffs on aircraft parts, wine, cognac and brandies from France and Germany, adding to a long list of EU products subjected to 25% duties since 2019.
The US said the move was in retaliation for tariffs that the EU imposed last November, which it considers unjustified and calculated unfairly.
The latest tariffs take effect some days after the end of Trump’s term. – AFP, January 17, 2021
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