Europe

In lieu of action by the European Union, France has announced a plan to implement a digital services tax in 2019, despite U.S. industry claims that the tax is a trade barrier that violates World Trade Organization rules.

Auto groups are calling on the U.S. to prioritize regulatory cohesion with the European Union in a potential trade deal with Brussels, though the two parties initially agreed to leave cars out of the discussion.

GENEVA -- The U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization on Wednesday blasted proposed Appellate Body reforms advanced by the European Union, China and others, saying they endorse the very practices the U.S. has repeatedly complained about.

Pompeo: “If there’s a hard Brexit, I remain very confident the United States and the United Kingdom will continue to have a special relationship. It matters certainly to them, but it matters a great deal to us as well.”

France and Germany on Tuesday issued a new proposal for a tax on internet advertisements that could serve as a potentially fatal blow to the European Commission’s push to impose a digital services tax targeting U.S. companies, which the U.S. business community had branded a violation of international trade rules.

Executives from Daimler, Volkswagen and BMW will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Tuesday.

France's ambassador to the U.S. welcomed U.S.-China talks at the G20, saying an agreement “would certainly be a very positive development for everybody.”

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on Tuesday said it was time for the U.S. to constructively engage on reforming the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body now that the European Union and 11 other countries have come forward with a proposal designed to address many U.S. criticisms.