Brussels, 19/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - The World Trade Organisation has decided that the USA has until 27 December to scrap their law on compensation for continued dumping and maintenance of subsidies, which is more widely known as the Byrd Amendment. This is in conclusion of a procedure launched by the Union and 9 other countries. It was declared illegal last summer by the multilateral arbiter and six months later by the appeals commission (SEE EUROPE 17 September 2002 and 17 January 2003). This legislation allows US companies taking part in trade protection measures to impose punitive surcharges on their foreign competitors' products an is still in place. Despite numerous appeals for diligence, including an appeal from the White House and an attempt at conciliation on the deadline of the current process, the abrogation continues to be stymied, apparently due to the opposition of the Senate, 2/3 of which believes that this law is "crucial" for jobs and the competitiveness of US industry (see 7/02/2003). Its numerous detractors (EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Indonesia, Korea and Thailand) have subsequently resorted to multilateral arbitration to obtain a clarification of the "reasonable deadline" given to Washington in this "complex and laborious" affair. Between the 8 month deadline advanced in their investigation - the deadline in September (which would have allowed "another illegal distribution of funds, notably to US steel companies, and an additional irreparable damages" and the 15 month remission, demanded by Washington, Japanese judge, decided on a half way house solution: the shortest deadline possible is now fixed at eleven months.