Brussels, 21/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The first hearings in the US complaint against public aid for launching the European aircraft company Airbus, began on Tuesday at the WTO's centre in Geneva. They will continue on Wednesday and are expected to be transmitted by radio on Thursday but without some of the elements considered confidential. The Union has sent in its first written submission on Washington's action and has therefore responded to the US allegations made at the beginning of last February (EUROPE 9363).
At the same time, the Union will be submitting its written argument to the WTO HQ on the procedure it has begun against subsidies granted to Boeing in the USA, as part of a different procedure for resolving WTO disputes. The Commission considers that the US manufacturer has benefited from around €22.5bn in illegal aid since 1992. The first hearings involving the European complaint is expected to take place at the beginning of July. (eh)