US customs sanctions: EU threatens US retaliation

The United States on Friday imposed customs sanctions against European products, provoking the wrath of Brussels, which promises to retaliate at the first opportunity, with the prospect of tightening transatlantic trade relations.

This rise in US tariffs against European products worth $ 7.5 billion came into effect this Friday. It came four days after the final green light from the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Washington to impose sanctions against the EU in retaliation for subsidies granted to the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

"Regretting" the decision, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia MalmstrOm said on Friday that the EU has "no choice" but retaliation.

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This "does not serve the interests of anyone"

The EU should in turn be allowed next year by the WTO to impose customs sanctions against the United States, accused of having subsidized Boeing.

Once again, MalmstrOm regretted this escalation. "The reciprocal imposition of customs sanctions does not serve the long-term interests of anyone," she said in a statement.

"It will cause very serious damage to aeronautical production in the United States and the EU and will lead to collateral damage in many other areas already affected by current trade tensions, "she added.

This new offensive by US President Donald Trump comes as Washington gets bogged down in a major trade war with China, which risks destabilizing the global economy.

The Mayor: "an aggressive gesture"

In the line of sight of Americans: the Airbus manufacturer, manufactured mainly in factories in the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany, which will now cost 10% more when they are imported to the United States .

But European wines are also in the sights of Trump, with a 25% tax.

In Washington, a meeting between the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, and Robert Lighthizer, the US Trade Representative (USTR) and chief negotiator for the United States, was scheduled for Friday.

Before going there, the Mayor denounced an "aggressive gesture" on the part of "American allies" and described as "deeply unjust" the sanctions affecting French wine.