Costs went up in the U.S. Friday on high-end European products due to tariffs slapped on the goods by the Trump administration. The tariffs come as retaliation for the European Union subsidizing French aircraft-maker Airbus, a competitor to U.S. manufacturer Boeing.
The tariffs fall primarily on food and alcoholic beverage products such as cheese from Britain, Switzerland and Italy; olive oil from Spain; Scotch whisky; and French, Spanish and German wines. They’re also being imposed on equipment including kitchen knives. The tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European goods were approved by the World Trade Organization as compensation for illegal Airbus subsidies, says USA Today:
The punitive taxes take particular aim at European agricultural products that have a "protected name status." Those are goods that can be sold under a name--like Scotch whisky or Manchego cheese--only if they are from a particular region and follow specific production methods. The result is they fetch premium prices, protect cultural heritage--and are shielded from competitors.
U.S.-made Parmesan cheese, for example, is not allowed access to the European market as a copycat of the traditional Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano … USA Today
