US slaps tariffs on French and German wines, aircraft parts for unfair EU treatment

The US would slap additional taxes on certain EU products, including aircraft components and liquor from France and Germany, in response to the EU's unfair tariffs against it.

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said that the EU needs to take some measures to compensate for this unfairness.

French and German liquor covered by the additional US tariffs were certain non-sparkling wines, cognacs, and brandies.

The USTR did not specify when the tariffs take effect, saying additional details would be “forthcoming.”

The US and EU are in a 16-year dispute over government aid to Europe’s Airbus SE, by the UK, France, Germany, and Spain, and US aid to Boeing Co.

According to Ben Aneff, president of the US Wine Trade Alliance, the additional US tariffs would also cause further hardship for US firms already impacted by previous tariffs, and urged President-elect Joe Biden to take action.

Aneff, a managing partner of Tribeca Wine Merchants in New York City, added that with US restaurants and small businesses are already struggling to survive, the additional tariffs would only destroy more jobs.

Germany’s ambassador to the United States Emily Haber urged quick action to resolve the issue, which she called a distraction from critical problems such as the pandemic and climate change.