The US is threatening even more tariffs on European Union goods after a new World Trade Organization ruling, claiming that the French aircraft maker Airbus, Boeing's biggest rival, was given "market-distorting subsidies."
The US put tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of EU goods in October as part of a long-running case in which it alleges Airbus was given improper subsidies to help it gain market advantage in Europe.
The EU and the US have accused each other for over a decade of improperly subsidizing their jet makers, which are the two biggest in the world. The WTO has found that both the EU and the US were giving improper subsidies.
The WTO ruled on Monday that the EU and some of its member countries had "failed" to "take appropriate steps to remove the adverse effects" of subsidies on the US.
Airbus had argued that the US should reduce its tariffs on EU goods, which include Airbus products, because US complaints about subsidies to its A380 program were no longer relevant as the plane model was being retired.
But the WTO said it "rejected the European Union's argument that Airbus' announcement to 'wind down' the A380 program at present achieved the withdrawal of the French, German, Spanish, and UK" subsidies.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer painted the WTO ruling in harsh terms, saying: "In light of today's report and the lack of progress in efforts to resolve this dispute, the United States is initiating a process to assess increasing the tariff rates and subjecting additional EU products to the tariffs."
"Strong action is needed to convince the EU that its interest lie in eliminating these market-distorting subsidies now and in the future so that our industries can compete on a level playing field," he said in a statement, the Financial Times reported.
The EU accused the WTO on Monday of "serious legal errors" in the case, the Financial Times reported.
"We consider that the panel has made a number of serious legal errors in its assessment of EU compliance," a European Commission representative said.
"The report also contains statements concerning workable ways to comply with the WTO rules on subsidies that would be very problematic for a larger part of the WTO membership to comply with."
The commission might also appeal "to have these legal errors corrected," according to the Financial Times.
Lighthizer's statement is likely to add an extra layer of tension to the NATO summit, which kicked off in London on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump said at a NATO press conference on Tuesday that "we're going to tax Airbus" and that it would "be very good for Boeing."
