WASHINGTON, DC - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today released the following statement after a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel issued a report finding that the European Union (EU) and several of its member states have continued providing substantial, illegal subsidies to large civil aircraft maker Airbus:
“Today’s report from the WTO vindicates the United States and its world-class aerospace workers, manufacturers, and service suppliers. In 2011, the WTO found that Airbus had received more than $18 billion in illegal subsidies from the EU, which affected the development of every model of Airbus large civil aircraft. As a result, the WTO called on the EU to remove the subsidies. Now, five years later, the WTO has found that the EU not only failed to comply with the earlier ruling but has also provided an additional $4 billion in subsidies to Airbus.
“The EU’s failure to abide by international trade rules costs the United States aircraft sales, exports, and jobs. This case reflects the grit and tenacity of U.S. industry, led by Boeing, working with USTR over these past 12 years to seek to level a widely tilted playing field. Today’s victory is a critical step in the pursuit of justice for U.S. workers, manufacturers, and suppliers. The Administration must continue these efforts until justice is won."
