EU legt handelsbeperkingen op aan de VS (en)

The European Union has imposed additional retaliatory sanctions against the US in response to anti-dumping measures meant to protect US companies.

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson i said on Monday (1 May) that the penalties from Brussels were justified because of a Washington law that allows US firms to raise a levy on competitors' goods deemed to be too cheap.

The disputed trade law, called the "Byrd amendment," was ruled illegal by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over a year ago and repealed in February, but US firms are expected to benefit from it for a further two years.

"As long as the distributions continue, the United States will not be in compliance with WTO rules," the commission said in a statement.

Billions of dollars have been paid out to US producers since the Byrd law was put in place in 2000.

The WTO gave Washington until the end of 2003 to adapt to internationally-established rules.

When it did not, seven countries plus the EU were given the option in 2004 to impose sanctions, with Brussels setting up a list of US products sanctioned with a 15 percent additional EU import duty.

The list covered US clothing, textiles, machinery, paper goods and sweetcorn.

On Monday, eight new items were added. "These products are different types of blankets, paper products, photocopying apparatus and drills," the EU statement said.

The EU indicated the Byrd law "has been a long-running irritant in the US-EU trade relationship," adding "that the huge bulk of EU-US trade is trouble-free."