On 29 April 2021, 88 European and American organisations impacted by EU-US retaliatory tariffs sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joseph R. Biden urging the permanent removal of tariffs on sectors unrelated to the ongoing Trans-Atlantic trade disputes.
The organisations, which range from agricultural products to consumer and industrial goods & included spiritsEUROPE, welcomed the recent four-month suspension of EU and US tariffs that had been imposed as a result of the longstanding disputes concerning large civil aircraft subsidies. They expressed hope that this suspension will help reset the vital transatlantic trade relationship and lead to the permanent removal of all additional and retaliatory tariffs on products which are unrelated to the sectors, subject to ongoing transatlantic trade disputes.
It is important for our members, already drastically affected by the economic impact of the pandemic, to be able to rely on the continued suspension or complete removal of these tariffs after July 2021. Likewise, we would like to see a suspension of all retaliatory tariffs in other disputes, while both sides work on a more permanent solution – particularly with regards to the 1 June deadline for the second wave of retaliatory measures in the steel & aluminium dispute.
Together with our 87 coalition partners, we strongly urge the EU and United States to intensify efforts towards securing the permanent removal of retaliatory tariffs on products unrelated to the sectors, subject to ongoing transatlantic trade disputes. We also want to avoid additional tariffs. This would create the necessary certainty and stability needed to grow the transatlantic economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
