In 2018, the World Trade Organization sided with the United States in a dispute over aircraft manufacturing. The WTO concluded that four European countries were unlawfully subsidizing Airbus, one of the largest aircraft makers in the world. As a result, and rightfully so, the WTO allowed the U.S. to place retaliatory tariffs on specific countries involved with Airbus.

Italy is not one of the four consortium countries involved in that Airbus dispute. But unfortunately, some uniquely Italian products were nonetheless placed on an initial potential target list of European Union goods by the U.S. government. In fact, as a whole, that list would have disproportionately affected Italy, targeting more of its goods than those of the actual Airbus consortium countries of France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.