Brussels, 16/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - More than a year after the May 2005 lodging of complaints at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against public aid for Airbus (see EUROPE 8958), the United States submitted its first arguments at the WTO in Geneva on Wednesday. The United States argues that Airbus received EUR 15 bn in various types of aid from 1992 onwards. Washington is particularly unhappy about refundable monies provided to develop new aircraft. The funding of Airbus A-350 XWB, which will cost between EUR 9 and 10 billion and whose launch is expected to be given the go-ahead by EADS by the end of the month, will serve as a test case in this connection. The United States is also challenging the provision by Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom of infrastructure and R&D aid (along with loans from the European Investment Bank). According to French newspaper Le Figaro, the Commission is playing down the scale of the public aid, particularly the advance payments (whose repayment included interest payments), noting that Airbus has reimbursed more than EUR 5 billion to its lenders since 1992, but received less than EUR 4 billion. The WTO has given the EU until 9 February 2007 to respond to the United States' arguments. The Commission says that the United States has provided USD 18.8 billion in aid to US aircraft builder Boeing, and this aid could itself be taken to the WTO, particularly the free provision of patents and various forms of technology. (eh)