As good as the relationship between the EU and the United States has been since American President Joe Biden took office, trade policy remains difficult.
Both sides wanted to set an example by the EU-US summit, which began on Tuesday afternoon, at least in the dispute over the subsidies for Airbus and Boeing, which has been simmering for a decade and a half.
Both sides worked flat out on a solution until Monday evening.
The time pressure was great anyway.
On July 11, the deadline that they set for the four-month suspension of mutual punitive tariffs agreed in May expires.
Hendrik Kafsack
Business correspondent in Brussels.
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Now, however, the talks, in which the “Airbus states” Germany, France and Spain were involved, have failed for the time being, according to information from the FAZ. Despite positive signals in the meantime, both sides were ultimately unable to agree on the desired cap on state aid, according to Brussels. Without any sense of achievement, they obviously did not want to go to the Biden summit with EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The tariffs are to remain suspended beyond July 11, and not just for a few more months, but for the long term.
This gives Europeans and Americans the time to calmly continue to negotiate a common solution, according to the Commission.
That remains the goal.
But evil tongues say that - according to the English proverb - the can will only be kicked further down the street.
The agreement is more of a long-term "ceasefire" than an extension of the negotiating period.
The World Trade Organization has repeatedly ruled that Airbus and Boeing are being illegally subsidized billions of dollars.
In 2019, she approved punitive tariffs for America on EU imports of $ 7.5 billion annually.
In 2020 it allowed the EU to import tariffs of 4 billion dollars (3.4 billion euros);
These include ketchup and tractors.