US OTR welcomes WTO reversal of earlier decision on prohibited subsidies to Boeing
US Office of the Trade Representative (OTR) welcomed (04-Sep-2017) a report by the WTO Appellate Body, rejecting the case brought by the EU alleging that the US provided prohibited subsidies to Boeing. The EU challenged seven Washington State tax measures, alleging that they were contingent on Boeing's use of domestic fuselages and wings instead of imported fuselages and wings. The Appellate Body disagreed, giving the US a "complete victory in this dispute" according to the OTR. The OTR also noted the reversal follows a WTO compliance panel finding in Jun-2017, in a separate dispute, that 28 of 29 US programs challenged by the EU were consistent with WTO rules. In that dispute, the compliance panel found that a single Washington State tax programme had limited effects contrary to WTO rules. That panel's findings are now on appeal before the Appellate Body. [more - original PR]