WTO authorises U.S. to target EU goods with tariffs over Airbus

Record ID: 1436696

  • Title: WTO authorises U.S. to target EU goods with tariffs over Airbus
  • Date: 14th October 2019
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (OCTOBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) WTO SPOKESMEN AND OTHER OFFICIALS EXITING MEETING ROOM FOR BOEING-AIRBUS CASE SCREEN READING (English): "DSB (SPECIAL MEETING)" (SOUNDBITE) (English) WTO SPOKESMAN, DAN PRUZIN, SAYING: "(United States) Ambassador (to the WTO Dennis) Shea spoke (during the dispute settlement body meeting). He said that he'd prefer a negotiated outcome, but nevertheless they were going ahead in allowing what was authorised by the arbitrator. And then the European Union spoke - not the ambassador I believe - and expressed some concerns about some of the arbitrator's findings. Canada intervened as well, as a third party, and that was that." SCREEN SHOWING LIST OF MEETINGS, INCLUDING MEETING OF DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY FOR BOEING-AIRBUS CASE VARIOUS OF EU REPRESENTATIVE LEAVING MEETING CLOSED CONFERENCE ROOM DOOR UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO WTO, DENNIS SHEA, REFUSING TO COMMENT, EXITING BUILDING WTO BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2019 08:39
  • Keywords: Airbus Boeing United States European Union dispute World Trade Organization trade tariffs
  • Location: RENTON, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATION / TOULOUSE, FRANCE / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: RENTON, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATION / TOULOUSE, FRANCE / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
  • Reuters ID: LVA006B12KG1Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The World Trade Organization (WTO) formally authorised the United States on Monday (October 14) to impose tariffs on up to $7.5 billion of imports of EU goods after an arbitrator's decision over subsidies to planemaker Airbus.
    The WTO's dispute settlement body, made up of representatives from its 164 members, cleared Washington to take countermeasures against the European Union and Airbus-producing countries Britain, France, Germany and Spain.
    The authorization was a formality after a WTO arbitrator awarded a record right to retaliate over illegal subsidies this month. It would only have been denied if all WTO members present voted against. The meeting lasted less than 20 minutes.
    U.S. trade ambassador Dennis Shea told the meeting that Washington still preferred a negotiated solution, WTO spokesman Dan Pruzin said.
    The EU delegation told the meeting that it had "serious concerns" and that U.S. tariff measures were short-sighted.
    The WTO has found that both Airbus and its U.S. rival Boeing received billions of dollars of illegal subsidies in a pair of cases that have run for 15 years. An adjudication in the Boeing case is expected early in 2020.
    The United States has said it will impose 10% tariffs on Airbus planes and 25% duties on a range of products, including French wine, Scottish whiskies and cheese from across the continent.
    (Production: Cecile Mantovani, Ardee Napolitano, Manuel Ausloos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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