WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) issued the following statement regarding today’s findings by a World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance panel that the European Union and four of its member States continue to provide illegal subsidies to Airbus.
“Today’s report is a huge victory for the American aerospace industry and another major win in one of the largest trade disputes in modern history. For decades, the EU has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of illegal subsidies to Airbus in the form of ‘launch aid’ at the expense of American companies and workers. In fact, in 2011, the WTO Appellate Body found that Airbus would not have existed and there would be no Airbus aircraft on the market at all without these subsidies. These unfair subsidies need to end now.
“Today’s panel report also highlights the need for strong and enforceable trade agreements. It is unacceptable for the EU to continue to break the rules and seek to gain an unfair advantage over American companies like Boeing. When our trading partners play by the rules, American companies win.”