U.S. Widens Tariffs on EU Imports in Airbus, Boeing Fight
U.S. Adjusts Tariffs on EU Products Hit in Airbus, Boeing Fight
(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration imposed tariffs on additional products from the European Union as part of a long-running dispute over subsidies to aircraft makers Airbus SE and Boeing Co.
In November, the EU instituted duties on some $4 billion in goods from the U.S. after gaining approval from the World Trade Organization. A year earlier, the U.S. sanctioned about $7.5 billion in imports from the EU including French wine and Scotch whisky.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Wednesday that it was targeting more European products because the EU used a time period that affected “substantially more products than would have been covered” otherwise and “needs to take some measure to compensate for this unfairness.”
The new goods affected include some aircraft-manufacturing parts, certain wines, and some cognac and other grape brandies from France and Germany. In a notice in the Federal Register, the USTR said the overall value of goods being hit remains $7.5 billion, after adjusting the time period in its sanctions to match the EU’s.
Settlement Talks
Wednesday’s move marks yet another chapter in trans-Atlantic tit-for-tat tariffs that have already seen some $11.5 billion in trade targeted. It comes even as the two sides were discussing a negotiated solution to a dispute over subsidies for wide-body commercial aircraft that began almost two decades ago.
“In order to not escalate the situation, the United States is adjusting the product coverage by less than the full amount that would be justified utilizing the EU’s chosen time period,” the USTR said.
The Brussels-based European Commission said it “regrets” the latest U.S. move and signaled prospects for a negotiated settlement now rest with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
“The U.S. action unilaterally disrupts the ongoing negotiation between the commission and USTR to find a settlement to the long-lasting aircraft disputes,” the EU’s executive arm said in an emailed statement on Thursday. “The EU will engage with the new U.S. administration at the earliest possible moment to continue these negotiations and find a lasting solution.”
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States expressed disappointment, calling the already-suffering industry “collateral damage” in the aircraft dispute.
“These tariffs not only harm EU spirits producers, they also disrupt and negatively impact the entire U.S. hospitality industry supply chain,” the Washington-based group of producers and marketers of alcoholic beverages said in a statement.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his EU counterpart, Valdis Dombrovskis, have both expressed their desire for a solution and were engaged in discussions in recent weeks. But the latest move reflects Lighthizer’s skepticism that such a deal can be done with less than a month left in Donald Trump’s presidency and that the EU may have been holding out to deal what they see as a more accommodating Biden administration. The changes take effect in mid-January, before Trump leaves office.
Biden and his top advisers have signaled their desire to repair trade and other relations with allies including the EU that have been strained by Trump’s “America First” policies.
Airbus Impact
Airbus slammed the USTR decision as “counterproductive in every way,” saying it would hurt U.S. manufacturing, workers and consumers and “will not contribute to a climate of trust to create a negotiated solution.” In an email, it called for the EU to respond appropriately.
The European Commission said it “disputes the U.S. claim that U.S. action was needed to correct an imbalance in the respective retaliation in the Airbus/Boeing cases” and “is analyzing the data in detail and will look at all options available on how to respond.”
In a separate statement, the French government urged the U.S. to withdraw the “illegitimate” sanctions, which will hurt European exporters in an “unacceptable” way.
Shares in the Toulouse, France-based company fell 1.6% to 89.78 euros Thursday in Paris. They have declined 31% this year.
Both Airbus and Boeing have been hit hard by the pandemic and its impact on air travel. A recent surge in Covid-19 cases in both Europe and the U.S. has also increased the likelihood of a double-dip recession in the EU and a slowing recovery in the U.S. economy. That could prolong the pain for both aircraft makers and raise the economic stakes for their home countries.
The European planemaker has production in five countries and assembles both A320 and A220 aircraft at a plant in Mobile, Alabama. Those products haven’t previously been subject to tariffs, while A320s completed in France and Germany are.
Airbus’s U.S.-built aircraft could now be affected, given the extended levies now cover major parts like fuselage sections, wing and wing assemblies brought in from Europe, along with horizontal and vertical stabilizers, Jefferies analyst Sandy Morris said in a note.
Even A320 wings made in the U.K. -- which isn’t targeted by the new measures -- are completed in Germany, Morris said.
“Our initial take is that tariffs now apply to major components of Airbus aircraft assembled in the USA,” he said. “We hope the wider WTO matter can soon be resolved, but for now, Airbus may face additional disruption.”
While Airbus has been able to avoid tariffs on its U.S.-made planes, Chicago-based Boeing doesn’t assemble commercial aircraft in the EU. It has no option to avoid the costly tariffs imposed by the EU and customers such as Ryanair Holdings Plc have said they won’t pay the levy.
The U.K. government has separately opted to drop tariffs on U.S. goods in a move designed to reduce trade tensions with the U.S. as the country completes its split from the EU.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.