Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

06/11/2021 | Press release | Archived content

In Law360 Story, Clete Willems Previews Trade Issues at US-EU Summit

Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems has been quoted in the Law360 article 'US-EU Trade Feuds Likely To Get Soft Touch During Summit.' The article reports on some of the issues likely to come up this week during a U.S.-European Union Summit, including those involving two high-profile trade battles-one pertaining to aircraft subsidies and the other to U.S. national security tariffs on steel and aluminum.

According to Law360, the dispute over the aircraft subsidies, which dates back to the George W. Bush administration with the United States accusing the EU of giving out illegal subsidies to Airbus, and the EU accusing the U.S. of giving subsidies to Boeing, is likely to be resolved the fastest. Willems, a Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics under former President Donald Trump, agreed, saying he thinks the two sides 'are making headway. …They have texts that they've been going back and forth on that could form the basis of a deal.'

As for the steel and aluminum tariffs, which Trump imposed using a Cold War-era national security law, Willems said he expects the two sides to establish what is being described as a trans-Atlantic Trade and Technology Council, focused on strengthening the commercial alliance and pushing back against China. He explained, though, that Washington will want the council to have a mandate that includes more than just holding consultations.

'[The council] is clearly going to be about creating standards for emerging technologies, but I think there is also going to be a lot of interest from the U.S. side to make sure it also helps resolve existing and emerging problems in the digital space,' said Willems.