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The debate on the abolition of tariff barriers between the US and the EU is getting new momentum: 35 members of the US Congress and 50 members of the EU Parliament demand in a joint statement that the US government as well as the EU Commission should "work to abolish all tariffs on wine in order to achieve a 'zero-to-zero' environment for wine trade". The signatories include the co-chairs of the US Congressional Wine Caucus, the wine industry lobby group in Congress, and the EU Parliament's Intergroup on Wine, Spirits and Quality Foodstuffs.
The statement continues: "We call on the European Union and the US to resolve the current trade disputes, stop all related retaliation against wine exports and strengthen their bilateral partnership to avoid sanctions against these sectors, including in the context of the current dispute between the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Airbus-Boeing on large civil aircraft."
The US and the EU are each other's largest export markets, he said, with total wine trade reaching more than $5.3 billion (€4.5 billion) annually, creating jobs as well as investment and supporting sustainable agriculture on both sides of the Atlantic. Decision-makers in the EU and the US government have not yet issued statements on the matter.
(uka / Photo: Wikipedia)