US says EU stalling on Airbus, blocks request for WTO compliance panel

The US said Wednesday the EU and 4 of its planemaker states have failed to bring subsidies for Airbus into line with a WTO ruling of last May, an accusation refuted by the EU. The EU asked the WTO last week to certify that it has complied with WTO rulings that found its Airbus subsidies illegal, attempting to forestall billions of dollars of US retaliatory sanctions. However, at Wednesday's meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body, the EU's request to set up a fresh panel to rule on its "full compliance" was blocked by the US delegation. The next meeting is Aug 27 where the row is expected to surface again. The WTO appeals body ruled May 15 that the EU had failed to remove subsidised govt development loans for theA380, and Europe's newest long-haul jet, the A350, causing losses for Boeing and US aerospace workers. <br/>