EU legt subsidies Boeing voor aan Wereld Handels Organisatie (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU will take its case against US state subsidies to civilian aircraft giant Boeing to the WTO, trade commissioner Peter Mandelson announced on Tuesday.

The move is in response to the US' announcement on Monday that it would bring its European rival Airbus to the WTO for receiving subsidies from four EU member states - the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

Commenting on Washington's decision, Mr Mandelson said he is "disappointed" and that he sees "no alternative" but to step into what will be the world's most expensive commercial dispute.

"I predict that the outcome [of the two WTO cases] will not be clear, it won't be clean cut, and at that stage after all that expense of time and effort and money we will have to come back and negotiate a way forward", he said.

According to Washington, the EU and the four member states have donated over 11 billion euro in subsidies to Airbus over 35 years, while the US stands accused of donating over 30 billion euro to Boeing in tax-breaks, R&D aid and infrastructure and personnel subsidies since 1992.

While promising that the EU is prepared to pursue its goal "with utmost vigour", Mr Mandelson acknowledged that "there are more important things to do in this world than to take that gladiatorial match to Geneva".

The Doha Development Round "needs a stronger leadership" from the EU and the US in order to be concluded on time, said the Commissioner, who had just arrived from his 24h trip to the WTO headquarters in Geneva. Instead, the EU and the US "are going head to head over two companies", he added.

And even if the WTO verdict is clear cut, Mr Mandelson asked: "Is the EU going to spark a trade war with the US to enforce a favourable verdict issued by the WTO panel? And would the US?"