EU asks WTO to certify it has removed Airbus subsidies

The EU has asked the WTO to certify that it has complied with WTO rulings on its subsidies for Airbus, attempting to forestall billions of dollars of US sanctions, a document published by the WTO showed Monday. The legal move is the latest step in a 14-year-old trade dispute between the EU and the US over funding for Airbus and its US rival Boeing. In May the WTO appeals body ruled that the EU had failed to remove subsidised govt development loans for the A380, and Europe's newest long-haul jet, the A350, causing losses for Boeing and US aerospace workers. In the latest legal move, the EU said it had informed the WTO in May that it had withdrawn all remaining subsidies and taken appropriate steps to remove their adverse effects, and it wanted a legal ruling to that effect. <br/>