The World Trade Organization authorizes the European Union to counter the United States, putting pressure on US European economic and trade relations once again

In a prolonged European American olive trade dispute, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has officially authorized the European Union to implement trade countermeasures against the United States, putting pressure on the already tense bilateral economic and trade relations. According to the official website of the World Trade Organization, members of the organization agreed at a dispute settlement body meeting on the 19th to authorize the European Union to implement countermeasures against US imports based on the WTO's ruling on the US European ripe olive trade dispute.

According to official information released by the World Trade Organization, in October 2025, the WTO arbitration institution ruled that the EU can impose countermeasures on US goods worth no more than $13.64 million annually in response to the olive trade dispute between the US and Europe. The EU has requested authorization from the WTO dispute settlement body to suspend tariff concessions and other obligations on US imports based on the ruling. The EU also stated that the list of affected US goods will be released in due course.

According to Agence France Presse, the US government imposed tariffs on Spanish olives from August 2018, with rates ranging from 30% to 44%. The reason is that Spanish olives receive subsidies and are dumped in the US market at prices lower than their actual value. In November 2021, the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States' imposition of countervailing tariffs on imported ripe olives from Spain violated WTO rules.

According to data cited by Reuters, since the US imposed tariffs on Spanish olives, the latter's market share in the US has plummeted from 49% in 2017 to 19% in 2024. In August of this year, with the United States imposing a 15% tariff on EU goods, including edible olives, the overall tax burden on Spanish olives has reached 46%.

Regarding the WTO ruling, an official from the Office of the United States Trade Representative stated, "This ruling will not affect the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders imposed by the United States on Spanish olives, which will continue to help American producers resist the impact of unfair trade imports

On the 21st, Zhou Wei, a researcher at the Research Institute of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, stated in an interview with Global Times that the multilateral trading system centered around the World Trade Organization is the cornerstone of international trade. As the world's largest economy and a major creator and beneficiary of the multilateral trading system, the United States should abide by rules, fulfill commitments, and address the concerns of relevant members through equal consultation, making contributions to maintaining the authority, integrity, and effectiveness of the multilateral trading system, and jointly promoting its greater role in global governance.

Bloomberg reported on the 17th that although the United States and Europe have always been close allies, their relationship has become very tense in the past year. In response to the massive fines imposed by the European Union on American technology companies, the US government has recently threatened to retaliate against the EU with "reciprocal retaliation" and named well-known companies such as Siemens.