EU keen to see end to tariff war with United States

A European Union spokesman has said the bloc is hopeful the election of United States president-elect Joe Biden could "reboot" talks with the US to end an ongoing trade dispute that saw three billion pounds ($3.9 billion) of tariffs put on a variety of US products in a row over subsidies given to the Boeing aircraft company.

The tariffs, which were approved by the World Trade Organization, or WTO, came into effect on Tuesday, and are in retaliation for similar taxes put on EU produce by the US last year.

The dispute, focusing on the rivalry between Boeing and the European Airbus group, pre-dates President Donald Trump's term of office, but relations between the two sides have grown worse during his time in the White House.

In 2019, the WTO said the US was entitled to retaliate against EU support for Airbus, which saw it impose tariffs on popular European exports including cheese and wine, but then it also authorized similar steps by the EU in response to state aid given to Boeing.

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said he hoped both sides would be able to relax tensions and come to a resolution that benefited everyone.

"Removing these tariffs is a win-win for both sides, especially with the pandemic wreaking havoc on our economies," he said. "We now have an opportunity to reboot our transatlantic cooperation and work together toward our shared goals."

Trump's top trade official, Robert Lighthizer, said the EU's imposition of tariffs had "disappointed" him.

"The alleged subsidy to Boeing was repealed seven months ago," he said. "The EU has long proclaimed its commitment to following WTO rules, but (Tuesday's) announcement shows they do so only when convenient to them."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was quick to congratulate Biden on his victory, suggesting an air of renewed goodwill, and added that the commission "stands ready to intensify cooperation with the new administration".

Writing in the Irish Times, David O'Sullivan, who served as EU ambassador to the US from 2014 to 2019, said the Biden era would be an opportunity for a fresh start after four years of what he called the transatlantic relationship "suffering greatly" under Trump.

That connection, he wrote, "will remain our most important relationship, but it can no longer be taken for granted. Even with a Biden victory, Europe needs to become a more equal and mature partner to ensure that the transatlantic relationship will continue to deliver for both sides".

Ending the Boeing-Airbus dispute would be a "helpful start", he added, but the new political era was also an opportunity to reposition and reassert European cooperation on the world stage.

"Biden's election requires us to answer the question not so much of what the US can continue to do for us but rather what we can, and must, do for ourselves," he wrote.