The World Trade Organization on Wednesday gave Washington the greenlight to slap tariffs on $7.5 billion (6.8 billion euros) worth of EU goods in retaliation for the bloc’s illegal support of Airbus.
The ruling is the largest arbitration award in WTO history and a landmark moment the 15-year long Airbus-Boeing battle, which threatens to intensify already strained trade relations between the US and the European Union.
The EU immediately threatened to respond to any US move.
“If the US decides to impose WTO authorised countermeasures, it will be pushing the EU into a situation where we will have no other option than do the same,” Brussels said in a statement.