On February 25, the Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for the nominee for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Katherine Tai. Tai’s strong performance in the hearing demonstrated her poise and a depth of knowledge on the issues. She was well-prepared for Senators’ questions and is likely to receive a swift confirmation in the
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Biden Decides Against Increased Tariffs in EU-U.S. Aircraft Subsidy Dispute
On February 11, 2021, the Biden Administration decided not to increase tariffs against the European Union. In a Federal Register notice released today (Feb 12th), the Administration announced that “The U.S. Trade Representative together with the affected United States industry have agreed that it is unnecessary at this time to revise the action…
World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Panel Delays Final Ruling on Section 232 Tariffs
On February 8, 2021, a WTO dispute resolution panel notified parties that it would delay it’s ruling on the United States’ Section 232 tariffs until the second half of 2021. The tariffs, which were imposed on the basis of national security, received complaints from China, India, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the European Union. The…
Large Civil Aircraft Dispute 2021 Update: Section 301 Tariffs on New EU Goods
In response to recent action by the European Union in the Large Civil Aircraft (Boeing-Airbus) Dispute in the World Trade Organization (“WTO”), the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) has announced the inclusion of additional products to the list of EU goods subject to Section 301 tariffs.
Section 301 tariffs will apply to specified additional products…
WTO Grants China Clearance for $3.5 Billion in Retaliation to U.S. Anti-Dumping Duties
On November 1, 2019, the World Trade Organization (WTO) granted China clearance to levy $3.5 billion of duties on U.S. goods in response to a WTO case where China challenged a wide-range of U.S. anti-dumping duties. The U.S. initially placed anti-dumping duties on China in an effort to fight cheap Chinese goods from flooding the …
USTR Publishes Federal Register Notice for Section 301 Tariffs from U.S.-EU Large Civil Aircraft Dispute
On October 9, 2019, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice informing that additional duties on products from certain member States of the EU will take effect starting at 12:01 a.m. on October 18, 2019. This action comes after the USTR determined that the EU and certain member …
List of US Tariffs On $7.5B Of EU Goods – Effective October 18, 2019
On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, the World Trade Organization (WTO) allowed the U.S. to set duties on $7.5 billion worth of European Union goods as a consequence of the long-running legal battle over subsidies to Airbus. This ruling allows President Trump’s administration to set increased import duties on such articles as EU wines, cheeses, motorcycles…
USTR Adds Supplemental List of $4B Worth of Products to EU Airbus Dispute
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released a supplemental list of $4 billion worth of products to be added to the proposed tariff pursuant Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 related to the Boeing-Airbus Subsidy Dispute before the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body. You can find the complete product…
Trump Administration Readies $11 Billion in Tariffs against EU and Schedules Section 301 Hearing in WTO Airbus Case
On April 8, 2019, the Trump administration released a list (see Annex) of $11 billion of European goods threatened with tariffs because of the WTO decision finding that “harmful subsidies” support the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. This case had been in litigation at the WTO for 14 years. It began in 2004 when the United States…
“Ottawa Group” Forms to Strengthen and Modernize WTO’s Dispute Settlement Mechanism, Transparency, and More
Talks on World Trade Organization (WTO) reform continued this past Thursday, January 24, 2019, in Davos, Switzerland. The “Ottawa Group” of 13 members, chaired by Canada, met on the need to protect and increase the functionality of the organization, focusing particularly on the dispute settlement mechanism and transparency aspects.
The United States has objected…