GENEVA: The WTO is expected Monday to hand over a final but confidential ruling to the United States and EU on their bruising dispute over decades of multi-billion dollar US public aid to aircraft giant Boeing. “We are about to reach another important milestone in the WTO aircraft dispute,” said Boeing Vice President for trade policy Ted Austell. The ruling – which marks the second major stage in a seven-year, tit-for-tat subsidies battle along with the separate US challenge to European support for rival Airbus – should remain out of the public eye for a few months under World Trade Organization rules. Sources in Washington said the lengthy ruling on large civil aircraft should be handed over to the two governments Monday around 1530 GMT, giving lawyers on both sides the chance to come to grips with its complex findings. Airbus said last Tuesday that it expects the WTO's arbitrators to award the European Union $45 billion (32.8 billion euros) in “compensation”, after interim findings were provided to the two sides last September. “It will confirm that Boeing received illegal aid,” said Maggie Bergsma, spokeswoman for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. “The aid given to Boeing was in fact much more significant in terms of distorting competitiveness than any sort of aid which Airbus has received.” “We consider that an amount of at least $45 billion will be called for in compensation,” she added. The EU has estimated that Washington gave Boeing $24 billion in disguised subsidies. Not all subsidies or public support are illegal under WTO rules, which seeks to stop those distorting international trade. Although the dispute involves governments, both companies have been waging a public relations battle on the sidelines of the dispute. Boeing swiftly rejected Airbus's claim. – Agence France
