U.S. tariffs hit European planes, cheese, whisky
The U.S. trade campaign has taken aim at some culinary favorites.
Scotch whisky, cheese and olives from across continental Europe, and French Wine, have all been slapped with a 25% tariff.
It's a punishment greenlit by the WTO for aircraft subsidies it deems illegal.
The tariffs also include a 10% tax on European-made Airbus planes.
All in all it hits more than 7 billion dollars worth of EU goods - and threatens to spark a tit-for-tat trade war.
Although U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to claim victory, saying: "It was a big win for the United States..."
The case against the subsidies is a dispute that reaches back fifteen years.
If the U.S. and EU hit on a deal to settle things the tariffs could be avoided.
One person familiar with the case said the USTR was deliberately not using the full extent of WTO-approved retaliation, in order to coax the EU to the negotiating table.
