EU likely to respond to US tariffs with own measures

[BERLIN] The European Union is likely to take retaliatory measures in response to new US tariffs on European goods, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told newspapers in remarks published on Friday.

"The European Union now will have to react and, after obtaining the approval of the World Trade Organisation, probably impose punitive tariffs as well," Mr Maas, a member of Germany's co-governing Social Democrats, told the Funke newspaper group.

Mr Maas later used the same line on Twitter and added: "Europe is united on this question. We remain ready to negotiate common rules for subsidies in the aviation industry. We can still prevent further damage."

The WTO this week ruled that some subsidies EU states paid to planemaker Airbus were illegal, giving the United States the right to react with tariffs on goods imported from the EU.

Washington announced plans for new tariffs on Wednesday.

Germany's finance minister, Olaf Scholz, also a Social Democrat, on Thursday said Europe should react prudently as trade conflicts in a globalised world were in nobody's interest. 

REUTERS