American handbags, fish and tractors on the $ 20 billion EU Customs Tariff List on Boeing

April 17, 2019, 11:19 GMT / Source: Reuters

By Reuters

Handbags, tractors, shovels and fish are part of a list of 11 billion US imports, worth $ 20 billion, that the European Union announced Wednesday it could hit with tariffs in the context of a litigation on transatlantic subsidies.

The United States and the European Union have been competing for nearly 15 years with the World Trade Organization for the grants awarded to American planner Boeing and his European rival Airbus.

After partial victories on both sides, each asks a WTO arbitrator to determine the level of countermeasures that he can impose on the other.

The administration of President Donald Trump proposed last week to target a list of seven European products, ranging from big planes to dairy products through wine, to compensate for the damage caused by European subsidies to Airbus worth estimated at $ 11 billion.

Brussels responded by presenting its own list of US imports worth $ 20 billion, including agricultural products ranging from dried fruit to ketchup, airplanes, fish, tobacco, handbags, suitcases, tractors, helicopters and consoles. video games.

The published list will now be open for consultation until May 31 and may be revised.

"The EU remains open for discussions with the United States, provided these conditions are without preconditions and aim for a fair result," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom in a statement.

In both cases, the WTO arbitrators have not yet set an amount, but the US case against Airbus is more advanced, a decision can be made in June or July. The case of the EU against Boeing could intervene early in 2020.

Both parties said they would prefer a regulation that does not result in the imposition of customs duties.

Meanwhile, the European Union has declared itself ready to enter into formal trade negotiations with the United States.

The Commission is expected to start two rounds of negotiations: one on reducing tariffs on industrial products, the other to help companies to show more easily that their products comply with European or US standards.

However, he insisted that agriculture not be included, putting the block of 28 countries at odds with Washington, which wants farm products to be part of the talks.