Picture of the tails of a Boeing 777, the Airbus A380 and A340 at the Paris Air Show 13 June 2005.
Pierre Verdy | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — The United States and European Union said Tuesday they have resolved a 17-year-long fight over aircraft subsidies, agreeing to suspend tariffs for five years stemming from the Boeing–Airbus dispute.
“This meeting has started with a breakthrough on aircraft,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met with President Joe Biden at a U.S.-EU summit in Brussels. “This really opens a new chapter in our relationship because we move from litigation to cooperation on aircraft — after 17 years of dispute.”
U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said during a videocall Tuesday that: “Today’s announcement resolves a longstanding trade irritant in the U.S.-Europe relationship.”
“Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat,” she added, mentioning China.
She added in a joint statement with the EU that both sides “now have time and space to find a lasting solution through our new Working Group on Aircraft, while saving billions of euros in duties for importers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
CNBC reported last week that the EU was pressing the White House to reach a deal to end trade tariffs imposed during the Trump administration, in relation to the Airbus and Boeing dispute that emerged in 2004.
As part of the deal, the EU and the U.S. agreed to provide research and development funding through an open and transparent process as well as to not give specific support, such as tax breaks, to their own producers that would harm the other side.
The idea is also to collaborate in addressing non-market practices conducted by other countries, including China.
“Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat,” said Tai. “We agreed to work together to challenge and counter China’s non-market practices in this sector in specific ways that reflect our standards for fair competition.”
Tuesday’s big announcement marked Biden’s first trip to the EU’s headquarters and the first EU-U.S. summit since 2014.
Airbus, which along with Boeing, dominates the commercial airplane market, cheered the deal, which comes just as the manufacturers are starting to regain their footing from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Anything that levels the playing field in this highly competitive industry and avoids this terrible lose-lose proposition of tariffs across the Atlantic or across any borders for that matter is good,” said Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer during a media call on Tuesday. “You don’t need to take that from Airbus…Just ask our customers.”
Customers of European-made Airbus aircraft include Delta Air Lines, but the Airbus has expanded its manufacturing footprint in the U.S. with its factory in Mobile, Ala., where it makes narrow-body jetliners.
“This shows the new spirit of cooperation between the EU and the U.S. and that we can solve the other issues to our mutual benefit. Together we can deliver for our citizens and businesses,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s trade chief, said in a statement Tuesday.
WTO rulings
The EU-U.S. relationship hit a low during the previous White House administration with then-President Donald Trump accusing the EU of being worse than China with its trade practices.
Trump imposed duties worth $7.5 billion on European products after the World Trade Organization ruled that the EU had given unfair subsidies to Airbus.
Shortly afterward the EU imposed tariffs worth $4 billion on U.S. products off the back of another WTO ruling that said the U.S. had granted illegal aid to Boeing.
Boeing shares were up 0.2% in the premarket on Tuesday morning, while Paris-listed Airbus shares were trading higher by 0.5%.
Separately, the United Kingdom also said Tuesday it was hoping for a similar deal with the United States within coming days.
The U.K. was a member of the EU when the dispute emerged and was hit by the trade tensions that developed during the Trump presidency.
The EU and U.S. in March agreed on to a four-month suspension of the tariffs, a step toward resolving the long-running trade war.
