VS protesteren bij WTO over Europese douanetarieven (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Washington has asked the WTO to investigate EU customs rules, which it says are not implemented uniformly.

US authorities pitched their request to the World trade body yesterday (21 September) citing inconsistencies in EU customs procedures, which hurt US exports.

The move is the first step in the WTO's dispute settlement procedure.

"We regret the US move to bring this issue to the WTO rather than using the bilateral EU-US Joint Customs Council, which would have provided a better forum for resolving these issues", read a Commission statement.

"We now hope that any disagreement over this matter can be satisfactorily resolved in consultations and that we do not need to move to litigation".

"Lack of uniformity, coupled with lack of procedures for prompt EU-wide review, can hinder US exports, particularly for small to mid-size businesses", the US Trade Representative said in a statement.

The Commission, the body responsible for enforcing common customs procedure, says it "fails to understand how the US can complain about a lack of uniformity in customs treatment across the EU".

"The Community has in place several legal, institutional and administrative measures enforced by the Commission - to ensure a uniform customs administration between our Member States".

If the issue is not resolved in talks, a formal legal challenge could be launched.