EU import tax
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Public notice of the United States Trade Representative's definitive list of retaliatory 100% ad valorem tariff measures on a variety of consumer products imported from the European Union has been delayed. The U.S. is considering placing a tax on certain products imported from the EU, including a number of bath products, if the Union fails to implement World Trade Organization recommendations on bananas ("The Rose Sheet" Dec. 7, p. 4). In a Dec. 15 statement, European Commission VP Leon Brittan, representing the EU, urged the U.S. not to publish the list, stating that such a course would "be further evidence of an unwillingness to pursue the agreed multilateral dispute settlement process." Brittan implored the U.S. "to turn away from unnecessary confrontation when we are both faced with wider and more important challenges." The list is now scheduled to be made public the week of Dec. 21