US moves to put new tariffs on billions’ worth of EU imports

An Airbus A380 takes off during a flying display at the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget outside Paris on June 21, 2017. The United States is considering putting tariffs on $11 billion in EU goods per year to offset what it said are unfair European subsidies for plane maker Airbus. / AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

LONDON — The United States is considering putting tariffs on $11 billion in EU goods per year to offset what it said are unfair European subsidies for plane maker Airbus.

While the size of the potential tariffs is relatively small compared with the hundreds of billions the U.S. and China are taxing in their trade war, it suggests a breakdown in talks with the European Union over trade. The U.S. and EU have been negotiating since last year about how to avoid tariffs.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office released late Monday a list of EU products, including Airbus planes, it would tax in anticipation of a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) this summer. The U.S. expects WTO will say it can take countermeasures to offset EU subsidies for Airbus. /kga