Conflict between Airbus and Boeing: European Union and United States suspend punitive tariffs for five years

A truce was decided in March and applied until July 11. Its extension is the new  sign of a desire for appeasement between the two blocs, after the Trump years.

It is a relief for both camps. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday (June 15th) confirmed an agreement between the EU and the United States  to resolve their long-standing dispute over illegal subsidies granted to aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. “We jointly decided to resolve this dispute. Today, we kept our promise,”  she said, while US President Joe Biden is visiting Brussels.

“Excellent news” for France

The two parties have agreed to suspend for five years the punitive customs duties  they inflict on each other in the context of this dispute. A truce had been decided in March and applied until July 11. Its extension is the new  sign of a desire for appeasement between the two blocs, after the Trump years. In 2019, Donald Trump obtained, in retaliation,  customs surcharges of 25% on European products including wine . The EU responded by imposing tariffs on $ 4 billion in US exports.

This is “excellent news for French and European companies” , reacted the French Minister of Foreign Trade, Franck Riester. The French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, also welcomed this agreement and  called for  “definitively concluding”  this file, in a statement sent to AFP. 

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