Boeing, Airbus received unfair subsidies, says WTO
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: Meanwhile, a couple of the newest planes on the market may never have been built without unfair government subsidies. That’s what the World Trade Organization said in a ruling today. Last year, it was Europe’s big manufacturer — Airbus — that was accused of getting government subsidies for its next generation plane. Well today’s WTO decision says Chicago-based Boeing also got unfair government help.
From London, here’s the BBC’s Rebecca Singer.
REBECCA SINGER: The U.S. and EU have been fighting for almost six years over support they gave to Boeing and Airbus. Last year the World Trade Organization ruled that the European Union paid illegal subsidies to Airbus’ parent company EADS to help build the A380 super jumbo jet.
Joao Vale de Almeida, the European Union’s ambassador to the U.S., says the WTO’s ruling clearly shows that U.S. subsidies helped Boeing launch a plane of its own.
JOAO VALE DE ALMEIDA: The report is clear in saying that if the subsidies did not exist Boeing would not have been able to launch the 787.
But Boeing, the maker of the long-delayed 787 Dreamliner, insists that all U.S. support was above board. And U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says the amount Boeing currently receives is minuscule compared to the European support Airbus has received over the years.
In London, I’m the BBC’s Rebecca Singer for Marketplace.
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