News broke this week that President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on $11 billion of European Union goods—goods that include Roquefort and Stilton cheese, wine, olives, and olive oil. This announcement stemmed from EU subsidies for Airbus, the European aerospace and defense group, which the Trump administration stated was harmful to the United States.
According to a report from The Guardian, the latest tariff threat is only a part of a long-standing dispute between the U.S. and the EU over the state subsidy support for Airbus and Boeing. For over 14 years, the two sides have argued their case at the World Trade Organization over the size of appropriate countermeasures to state subsidies.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday complaining about the tariffs, stating, “The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!”
The Trump administration released a list of EU goods that may attract this higher tariff threat, which, as mentioned above, includes French cheeses, olives, and wine, but also items like seafood and champagne.
Bloomberg reported that The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative stated that the EU’s support of Airbus had caused “adverse effects,” which the EU called “greatly exaggerated.” It did not state which American goods would be targeted, but Airbus announced that the EU would proceed with “far larger countermeasures against the U.S.”
As the situation continues, Deli Market News will report on the latest in tariffs affecting the specialty food industry.
