Oct 13 (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization on Tuesday
gave the European Union permission to impose tariffs on $4
billion of U.S. goods, but Washington said there was no legal
basis to do since a state tax break for Boeing Co had
been repealed.
Washington and Brussels traded terse statements in the
latest twist in an epic 16-year-old dispute over support for
airplane makers, the largest ever corporate trade dispute, but
both sides insist they want to settle the dispute.
The WTO has previously found the world's two largest
planemakers received billions of dollars of unfair subsidies in
a pair of cases dating back to 2004.
Here are highlights of the feud that has spawned thousands
of pages of rulings, triggered threats of tit-for-tat tariffs on
goods from plane parts to whisky and left both sides claiming
victory while racking up an estimated $100 million in costs.
2004
The U.S. seeks talks with the EU and Airbus host
nations Britain, France, Germany and Spain over alleged unfair
subsidies via government loans. Washington terminates a 1992
U.S.-EU agreement covering support for Airbus and Boeing.
The EU files a complaint on U.S. aid for Boeing.
2005
The WTO launches twin probes into public support for Boeing
and Airbus after bilateral negotiations fail.
2006
Airbus announces a new A350 jetliner for which it will seek
further government loans from host nations.
2009
The WTO issues an interim ruling that some European aid
provided to Airbus violated a ban on export subsidies - a type
of aid deemed most harmful and therefore automatically banned.
2010
The WTO demands a halt to unfair aid for jets including the
Airbus A380 superjumbo. It says some government loans for the
jet amount to "prohibited" export subsidies. But it rejects a
U.S. request to include aid for the newer A350 in the case.
2011
The EU loses an appeal and is given until December to
comply. However the WTO drops its finding that the A380 loans
are in the "prohibited" category, softening its earlier ruling.
A separate WTO panel partially backs the EU in its
counter-case alleging $19 billion of support for Boeing from the
U.S. government, NASA and various states and municipalities, and
rules against aid for Boeing worth at least $5.3 billion.
2012
WTO appeal judges broadly uphold the ruling against U.S.
support for Boeing.
Both sides say they have complied with the WTO's rulings,
while accusing the other side of failing to do so.
2013
Boeing announces the twin-engined 777X and agrees to build
it in Washington state shortly after the local legislature
agrees $8.7 billion in new aerospace industry tax breaks.
2014
The EU opens a second front in the trade battle by launching
a separate complaint against the 777X tax breaks granted by
Washington state and this time chooses a faster, all-or-nothing
approach by targeting them purely as "prohibited" subsidies -
without the usual fallback of a second, softer claim.
2016
After a year-long lull in the main dispute, the WTO says the
EU failed to comply with its earlier rulings on Airbus. It also
agrees for the first time to target aid for the new A350 but
rejects U.S. calls to put this in the "prohibited" category.
In November, the WTO rules tax breaks surrounding the
development of the Boeing 777X - the subject of the EU's second
case - did fall into the more severe "prohibited" category.
2017
WTO appeal judges reverse the ruling that the 777X tax
breaks are in the "prohibited" column, bringing an abrupt halt
to the EU's second case.
In the EU's main case, the WTO largely clears the United
States of maintaining unfair support for Boeing but says it has
failed to withdraw the earlier Washington state tax breaks.
The EU appeals this decision, but the WTO does not change
its stance in a follow-on ruling, published the same year.
2018
In May, the WTO again rules that the EU has failed to halt
all subsidies to Airbus and that these continue to harm Boeing.
The United States threatens sanctions on billions of dollars of
European products. Both sides enter arbitration to determine the
scope of tariffs.
2019
In March, the WTO says the United States has again failed to
halt subsidized tax breaks to Boeing in Washington state.
The two sides disagree widely in public over the
amount of subsidy faulted by the WTO.
Both sides accuse the other of refusing to negotiate any
settlement and unveil lists of billions of dollars of proposed
tariffs on each others' goods.
WTO arbitrators award the United States the right to impose
tariffs on $7.5 billion of annual EU imports. In October,
Washington imposes 10% tariffs on most European-made Airbus jets
and 25% duties on products ranging from cheese to olives and
single-malt whisky.
In December, the WTO rejects EU claims that it no longer
provides subsidies to Airbus, prompting Washington to say it
could increase tariffs on a wider range of European goods to
increase pressure on Brussels to comply.
2020
The United States announces an increase in tariffs on
aircraft imported from the EU to 15% from 10%.
In March, the Washington state legislature votes to remove a
contested aerospace tax break that had benefited Boeing.
In October, following delays due to the coronavirus crisis,
the WTO grants Brussels permission to impose tariffs on $4
billion of U.S. goods over subsidies for Boeing.
The European Commission offers to pull back from imposing
tariffs if Washington withdraws its existing tariffs on European
goods such as wine and whisky.
But the U.S. Trade Representative's office says Brussels has
"no legal basis" to impose the tariffs since a tax break
provided by Washington State to Boeing has been repealed.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Tim Hepher; Editing by David
Evans, Keith Weir and Daniel Wallis)