EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the German newspaper Der Spiegel on Saturday 10 April that the European Commission had made a proposal to the United States to suspend all tariffs imposed between the EU and the US for 6 months.
The two partners had agreed on 5 March to suspend punitive tariffs as part of the Airbus/Boeing dispute for 4 months (see EUROPE 12672/1).
“We have proposed suspending all mutual tariffs for 6 months in order to reach a negotiated solution. [...] This would create a necessary breathing space for industries and workers on both sides of the Atlantic”, said Commissioner Dombrovskis.
The reactions from stakeholders were swift to arrive. “I applaud the proposal of Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis to suspend tariffs for another 6 months, and hope that the US counterparts will agree to this”, said the President of the Eurochambres association, Christoph Leitl. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)