European Interest

Airbus-Boeing dispute: EU-US agreement gives hope to EU farmers, says Norbert Lins

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The agreement on the aircraft dispute that hit hard EU farmers is a very good sign for transatlantic cooperation and farmers across the Atlantic, said Agriculture Committee Chair on Tuesday.

In his reaction to the announcement of an EU-US agreement on the Airbus-Boeing dispute, Agriculture Committee Chair Norbert Lins (EPP, DE) said:                                            “The end of the Airbus-Boeing dispute is a very good sign for our transatlantic relations and our farmers in the EU and US. It gives them hope that in the future they can export their high-quality products without fear that they would be hit hard by sanctions imposed due to trade dispute in a completely different sector.”                                                            “The agreement reached today is the first tangible result of the renewal of our transatlantic relations. However, this positive step must be followed by further ones: We need much more transatlantic common ground, especially on trade issues, but also on agriculture. We should work together to make agriculture and rural areas future-proof.”                       “The exchange of best practices will benefit the US and the EU when it comes to the right climate adaptation tools for farmers across the Atlantic. We will only succeed if we tackle these challenges together decisively and intelligently.”                                                     “I am looking forward to discussing the transatlantic relations with Commission’s Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis and US Secretary Vilsack in our committee in July and to strengthen also the cooperation with the US Congress.”

In January, Norbert Lins called on the EU Commission to immediately launch negotiations with the new U.S. administration to call a truce in the Airbus/Boeing dispute and avoid further sanctions that damage EU farmers. He insisted that diplomacy must prevail and de-escalation be achieved.                                                                                                 The matter was discussed also during the meeting of the Agriculture Committees Chairs in the U.S. House of Representatives and European Parliament on 30 March.

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