EU claims WTO ruling in Boeing case as victory
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European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said on Wednesday that finding of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the Boeing subsidies case support the EU's view in the disputes.
"Some of the findings of the WTO Panel Report on subsidies to Boeing have already been leaked and commented upon," he said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, EU trade spokesman John Clancy said that the WTO issued the Boeing report. According to WTO rules, the contents of the interim ruling will not be disclosed until a final report is released.
"I would like to limit myself to saying that the analysis conducted appeared very thorough and its conclusions support the EU's view in the disputes," he said.
"A more detailed assessment is needed but I believe even more strongly than before that the question of subsidies to aircraft manufacturers can be settled only by way of negotiations," the commissioner added.
The United States first brought the dispute to the WTO in 2004, alleging that the EU had provided billions of euros in various forms of subsidies to Airbus, including so-called "launch aid" to its A380 and other major aircraft models, which violated WTO regulations.
In the same year, the EU also brought a case against Boeing, alleging that the U.S. government had funded the company illegally.
The WTO ruled against the EU in its final report in the Airbus case in June, confirming U.S. complaints that the EU and some of its member states had provided "prohibited export subsidies." The EU lodged its appeal with the WTO in July.
