Faced with Washington's threat to hit the EU with "firm measures" and Paris with record customs duties, the Commission insisted that Europeans remain united.
The report, published on Monday 2 December by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (see EUROPE 12381/16) and claiming that the EU has not brought its subsidies to Airbus into line with its rules, dealt a severe blow to the EU and brought grist to the Washington mill. At the end of this long transatlantic conflict, any hope that American sanctions will be lifted has therefore been further weakened (see EUROPE 12352/16). Worse still, according to a press release issued the same day, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is threatening to increase these tariffs and to include new products.
However, the EU considers that there is no legal basis in the WTO compliance report for doing so - a spokesman told the press on 3 December. He warned that "this escalation will not facilitate a (friendly) settlement" in the transatlantic dispute over the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the outcome of which should be known in the second half of 2020.
Finally, the Commission stated that the EU would remain united in the face of another threat of sanctions, those targeting France: French products could be subject to record customs duties if Paris applies a GAFA tax. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)