The Trump administration has once again voiced strong opposition to European Union trade policies, arguing that the EU's penalties against US technology companies and its recent financial support for Airbus could derail constructive negotiations.
"Genuine dialogue can only take place during a ceasefire," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated in a Thursday announcement. "The EU's recent actions are undermining these efforts and pose a real risk to the ongoing stability of transatlantic trade relations."
The European Commission announced on Thursday that it had fined Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Google a total of 8.9 billion euros ($1 billion) for violating the Digital Markets Act.
Greer characterized this penalty, along with other recent measures against Google, as "unreasonable economic penalties."
"The total fines levied by the EU against Google alone account for more than 2% of the EU's entire budget," he said. "This 'contribution' is even higher than the budget contributions of many EU member states."
In his statement, Greer also criticized the European Investment Bank's late June announcement of a 3-billion-euro ($3.41 billion) financing package for Airbus.
US officials have consistently argued that official aid to Airbus, which is headquartered in Toulouse, France, places Boeing at a competitive disadvantage.
"It is clear that the EU continues to target America's most competitive businesses," Greer stated. "The EU often claims it seeks stability and predictability in our trade relationship, but these moves are creating massive uncertainty for US exports of goods and services to Europe."
Editor: Ding Wenwu
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