<span style="color: #222222;">The World Trade Organisation (WTO) gave the United States final authorisation to impose tariffs on EU products in retaliation for illegal subsidies given to Airbus. Earlier this month, a WTO arbitrator gave Washington the green light to slap tariffs on 7.5 billion US dollars worth of European Union imports.<br />''<br />''The move comes as a landmark moment in the 15-year legal battle between Airbus and American plane-maker Boeing. The arbitrator's award- the largest in the organisation's history- was rubber-stamped by the WTO's Dispute Settle Body (DSB) at a special DSB meeting.<br />''<br />''Washington has said the tariffs, which may target a range of consumer products including French wine, could be in place by Friday. But EU officials have indicated that they are trying to reach a negotiated settlement with the US to avoid escalating trade tensions that risk battering economies across the globe.<br />''<br />''If those negotiations fail to produce a deal, Brussels will get the chance to impose its own WTO-approved tariffs on US products, after convincing WTO judges that Boeing had benefited from illegal US government subsidies. An arbitrators award in that case is due in 2020. </span><br />