Dear Valued Customer,

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. plans to swiftly impose tariffs effective October 18 on $7.5 billion in aircraft, food products and other goods from the European Union after the World Trade Organization authorized the levies Wednesday, citing the EU’s subsidies to Airbus.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said it would impose the tariffs starting Oct. 18, with 10% levies on jetliners and 25% duties on other products including Irish and Scotch whiskies, cheeses and hand tools. See USTR’s full list, which includes more than 150 tariff lines, though some are only part of the eight-digit line.

The U.S. was authorized to impose tariffs of up to 100% on $7.5 billion of goods by the WTO in what has been a 15-year battle over support programs for Airbus and U.S. aerospace rival Boeing Co., which had pushed for a 100% duty on Airbus jets.

Following the decision, Airbus called on Washington and Brussels to avoid tariffs that would “severely impact” the aircraft industry, hurt U.S.-EU trade relations and damage the global economy.

“Airbus could still completely avoid these tariffs by coming into full compliance with its obligations,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “We hope it will finally do that.”

Other tariff threats loom over the EU. President Trump is poised to decide by Nov. 13 whether to tax cars and auto parts from Europe, risking a rapid escalation of duties on trans-Atlantic automotive trade worth some $100 billion. Leaders of a new EU administration, slated to take office Nov. 1, have urged Mr. Trump to avoid a trade war.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact your nearest JJB representative.

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