Larsen Statement on Final WTO Ruling on Illegal Subsidies for Airbus

Statement

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement in response to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) final ruling on illegal subsidies for Airbus. Larsen also sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense, urging the Department of Defense to consider the multibillion dollar illegal launch aid subsidies given to EADS by the European Union and end the delays in the tanker competition. Larsen was a co-sponsor of an amendment, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, that requires the Department of Defense to take into account the illegal subsidies that Airbus has received from European governments when it awards a contract for the next generation of aerial refueling tankers.

"The jury is back and the verdict is in: the European Union is guilty of providing Airbus with billions of dollars in illegal subsidies. The WTO ruling is clear -- the EU's illegal subsidies have directly harmed American workers.

"The WTO ruling must be the final nail in the coffin of Launch Aid. Airbus needs to cut off its illegal subsidies for the A350 immediately and try to develop planes the old-fashioned way: using private capital with market interest rates.

"Now that the WTO ruling is out in the open, the Department of Defense needs to consider the impact of these illegal subsidies on the tanker competition. A fair, open, and transparent competition means taking into account the fact that the A330 benefited from billions in illegal subsidies.

"Washington aerospace workers are the best in the world and I will continue to fight to ensure that they are allowed to compete on a level playing field.

"I commend both the Obama and Bush Administrations for their work on this case. I urge the Obama Administration to continue pursuing this case aggressively.

Source