U.S. regrets EU move on tariffs, seeks deal on Boeing-Airbus row: speech

GENEVA (Reuters) – The United States on Monday told the WTO that it regretted the European Union’s decision to pursue retaliatory tariffs for Boeing subsidies, adding it favoured a “negotiated resolution” with the bloc over its subsidies to rival planemaker Airbus .

The U.S. speech, seen by Reuters, came at a meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) which gave its formal clearance on Monday for the EU to impose tariffs on $4 billion of U.S. goods.

“The United States strongly favours a negotiated resolution of its dispute with the EU over the massive launch aid subsidies it provided to Airbus. The United States has recently provided proposals for a reasonable settlement that would provide a level playing field,” the U.S. delegation said.

The original WTO ruling on Oct. 13 had deepened a record trade dispute that has already prompted Washington to impose duties on EU imports over state aid for Airbus.

Few analysts expect the EU to act before U.S. presidential elections next week.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Michael Shields and Jason Neely)