PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union and the new administration of US President-elect Joe Biden must suspend a trade dispute to give themselves time to find common ground, French Foreign Minister said in a Sunday. published comment.
“The problem that is poisoning everyone is that of price escalation and taxes on steel, digital technology, Airbus and more specifically our wine sector,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told Le Journal du Dimanche in an interview.
He said he hoped the parties could find a way to resolve the dispute. “It may take a while, but in the meantime we can always call for a moratorium,” he added.
In late December, the United States began raising tariffs on French and German aircraft parts, wines and other spirits in the subsidy dispute between Boeing and Airbus, but the bloc decided to delay retaliation for the time being.
The EU plans to table a reform proposal from the World Trade Organization in February and is ready to consider reforms to curb the judicial authority of the WTO dispute settlement body.
The United States has for years complained that the WTO Appellate Body is taking unjustified new trade rules in its decisions and has blocked the appointment of new judges to stop it, rendering the body useless.
The Trump administration, which is leaving office on Wednesday, had threatened to introduce tariffs on French cosmetics, handbags and other goods in retaliation for the digital services tax in France, which it said discriminated against US technology companies.
Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Pravin Char