USTR Confirmed It Had Obtained Confidential Documents Requested From The WTO

The war of words between the U.S. and the EU over subsidies for airplane manufacturers escalated again Monday as the European Union accused the U.S. of violating confidentiality protocols by admitting it had received funding information about the A350XWB. The U.S. Trade Representative had requested the information from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

EU Trade Spokesman John Clancy called the admission that the U.S. had received the documents "regrettable," according to a report from Reuters.

The U.S. says that the WTO should take loans made to Airbus for the A350 into consideration in a years-long trade dispute over subsidies to both Airbus and Boeing. The EU contends that the A350 should not be included because the dispute began before the European composite airliner was announced.

The new charges come as EADS works to finalize a $45 billion merger with BAE Systems, which will be closely scrutinized by the U.S. Trade Representative and other U.S. authorities, particularly members of Congress that have Boeing facilities among their constituencies.

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels declined to comment on this latest charge.

FMI: www.ustr.gov, http://europa.eu/index_en.htm