US raises tariffs on European-built aircraft in ongoing dispute over subsidies

[WASHINGTON] The US government on Friday said it would increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the European Union (EU) to 15 per cent from 10 per cent, ratcheting up pressure on the EU in a 16-year transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies.

USTR said it remained open to reaching a negotiated settlement with the EU on the issue, but could revise its actions if the EU imposed tariffs of its own in connection with a pair of disputes over aircraft subsidies.

In a statement released late on Friday, USTR said it would rotate additional 25 per cent tariffs to different non-aircraft products from the EU, but would not raise the tariff rate, as it had suggested it might do in October.

REUTERS