US and EU, warming up to aircraft negotiations
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk with EC Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, March 2009, at their first meeting
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A confidential interim WTO (World Trade Organization) report on European assistance to the aircraft industry, notably Airbus, was issued Friday, reports Frances Williams in the Financial Times, and a similar report on US assistance to Boeing is expected in the next few months.
The US and the European Commission have been at loggerheads over illegal subsidies to the industry and the WTO has been handling the long-running trade dispute. Catherine Ashton, the European Union trade commissioner, told reporters in India, where she has been attending meetings, that a negotiated settlement in coming months is possible.
She was responding to reports that US lawmakers say the new report indicates that European funding for Airbus does indeed constitute illegal subsidies. Ashton noted that it is too early to draw such conclusions, since the final report has not been issued and European claims have not yet been fully examined.
Related, Financial Times (subscription), Reuters
See also: “WTO Sunday open house a success”, GenevaLunch 6 September 2009
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News story, GenevaLunch, 7 September 2009.
Filed under: International organizations
Tags: Airbus, aircraft industries, Boeing, European Commission, European Union, Geneva news, illegal subsidies, Switzerland, trade commissioner, U.S.