Washington/Brussels, 04/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - Despite the increase in custom duties on steel since 20 March by the USA, the Bush Administration has not hesitated in again accusing its main trading partners of protectionism (in the largest chunk of the 2002 annual report to Congress on barriers to foreign trade). The 460-page report put together by the Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick's office, is particularly critical of Japan but also of the European Union, Brazil and China. Mr Zoellick considers that various data would enable the USA to push for freer trade around the world. The US still envisages launching a WTO case against the European Union concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The USA doubts whether the new regulation authorising GMOs can be effectively applied this year and believes that US corn farmers have been losing USD 20 million every year since 1998 due to the European moratorium. The report is particularly critical of the growing use of "nontariff "barriers": restrictions on foreign competition by the Canadian Wheat Board; the dominant position of the Mexican company, Telmex, on the telecommunications market; the European embargo of US beef produced with artificial growth hormones; restrictions imposed by South Africa and the Ukraine on US poultry; the Japanese quarantine restrictions on apple imports because of alleged bacterial disease. The US government has described itself as being determined to bring Japan before the WTO if consultations do not resolve the issues by the end of April. The US is also critical of certain aspects of Japan's telecommunications market regulation. The report again attacks Brazil for its high import duties, particularly those on cars. China is criticised for the restrictions it puts on agricultural imports but also for its failure to step up efforts against counterfeiting and piracy.