Changes in Duties on EU Goods May Soon Come

The United States might announce this week its plans for changes in listings of $308.2 million of European Union goods subject to retaliatory duties in connection with two EU trade disputes. Under a new law, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office must revise the lists every six months until the EU changes its beef and banana trade policies to comply with World Trade Organization rulings. The deadline for the current round of changes was June 19. The listings name goods subject to 100% duties because of a World Trade Organization finding that the EU violated international trade rules in the two disputes. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. has urged the Clinton administration to announce the revisions as quickly as possible, said Chuck Lambert, an economist and trade specialist for the cattlemen’s group. Washington has had 100% duties on $191.4 million worth of EU handbags, bed linens and other goods since April 1999 in the banana case. It has had similarly high duties on $116.8 million worth of Danish hams, French pate, Italian tomatoes and other food products since July 1999 in the beef case. The trade office has received more than 400 sets of comments from businesses and industry groups affected by possible changes in the retaliatory measures.