Answer given by Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis on behalf of the European Commission
26.2.2021
Following the World Trade Organisation (WTO) arbitrator’s decision of 13 October 2020[1] in the EU’s dispute settlement case DS353, both the EU and United States (US) civil aircraft cases[2] have run their full course through the WTO dispute settlement system.
The Commission regrets that the previous US administration chose to add additional EU products to its retaliation list. Such US action unilaterally disrupted the ongoing negotiation process to find a long-standing solution. As set out in its recent Communication, settling these disputes through negotiation remains a priority for the Commission[3] and it will seek to engage rapidly with the Biden Administration to this end.
The Commission is aware of the difficulties that the EU agricultural sector continues to encounter in particular due to the US tariffs related to the civil aircraft dispute, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Commission encourages the agricultural sector to make use of the promotion policy instruments targeting third countries[4] and the promotion measure of wine support programmes (national support programmes — NSPs)[5] as these can help EU operators to consolidate their market position on existing markets or seek new opportunities in other markets.
The Commission is monitoring closely the market situation in the different agricultural sectors while constantly gathering information from stakeholders, and has extended until October 2021 the application of the exceptional measures it adopted in 2020 with a view to helping the wine sector cope with the pandemic[6][7][8].
This prolongation will allow maximising the use of NSP funds, as has been demonstrated in 2020. The Commission remains convinced that extending these exceptional measures to maximise the use of the available funds remains the right approach.
- [1] ‘Recourse to Article 22.6 of the DSU by the United States — Decision by the Arbitrator’ https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/DS/353ARB.pdf&Open=True
- [2] DS353: ‘United States — Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft — Second Complaint’ https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds353_e.htm
DS317: ‘United States — Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft’
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds317_e.htm - [3] JOIN(2020) 22 final — Joint Communication: A new EU-US agenda for global change
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/joint-communication-eu-us-agenda_en.pdf - [4] More information on the promotion policy and its funding opportunities is available at https://ec.europa.eu/chafea/agri/ .
- [5] Article 45(b) of Council Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671).
- [6] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/78 of 27 January 2021 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/600 derogating from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1150, Implementing Regulation (EU) No 615/2014, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1368 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 as regards certain measures to address the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (OJ L 29, 28.1.2021, p. 5).
- [7] Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/95 of 28 January 2021 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/592 on temporary exceptional measures derogating from certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council to address the market disturbance in the fruit and vegetables and wine sectors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures linked to it (OJ L 31, 29.1.2021, p. 198).
- [8] Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) …/… of 27.1.2021 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/884 derogating in respect of the year 2020 from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 as regards the fruit and vegetables sector and from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149 as regards the wine sector in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149 (to be published after the scrutiny period).