US proposes tariffs on EU cheese, pasta

The United States on Monday proposed tariffs on $4 billion in imports of a range of European Union products -- including parmesan cheese and Scotch and Irish whiskey -- over subsidies for commercial aircraft. The list also includes sausages, hams, pasta, olives and many other cheeses including reggiano, provolone, edam and gouda.

“Today, the Office of the US Trade Representative is issuing for public comment a supplemental list of products that could potentially be subject to additional duties,” it said in a statement. “This supplemental list adds 89 tariff subheadings with an approximate trade value of $4 billion to the initial list published on April 12, which included tariff subheadings with an approximate trade value of $21 billion,” it added.

For more than 14 years, Washington and Brussels have accused each other of unfairly subsidizing aviation giants Boeing and Airbus, respectively, in a tit-for-tat dispute that long predates US President Donald Trump’s time in office.