-->Guten Tag

Mich dünkt, die Verletzungen von WTO-Regeln durch die US hat System. Ist die Not so gross? Oder ist das cleveres busines?


New EU-US trade row looms


Brussels is poised to retaliate against Washington for a US failure to repeal illegal anti-dumping measures known as the ‘Byrd amendment’.

America missed a December 27 deadline to scrap the law which redistributes funds to those firms initiating cases against foreign competitors for flooding the US market with excessively cheap exports.

Previously, the cash had gone straight into the US treasury coffers, but trading partners claim the Byrd amendment encourages American firms to engage in more anti-dumping cases than is fair or necessary.

"We will request authorisation from the World Trade Organisation to impose counter measures,” said an EU spokesman, “to make sure we preserve our right to retaliate."

A record number of trading partners called for the WTO to launch an investigation into the legislation when passed by Congress in 2000.

And Japan has been one of the first to signal its intent to retaliate against the €80 million the US snapped up from its business last year.

Brussels is keeping its cards close to its chest over the €51m the US pocketed from the EU last year, saying it is “not talking about products or amounts yet”.

The US Trade Representation claimed the retaliation was “not entirely unexpected” and despite the “reasonable period of time” given to them by the WTO repealing the amendment “requires action from Congress”.

The Bush administration has recommended scrapping the legislation but Congress and Senate have a reputation for dragging their heels over repealing trade laws thus making a swift resolution unlikely.

“The timing is unpredictable,” said a spokesman for USTR.

The EU now has 20 days to formally seek authorisation to launch counter measures.

This is just the next chapter in a drawn-out EU-US trade war that was threatening to rear its ugly head all last year.

There was a brief moment of respite last December when Washington bowed to pressure to repeal illegal steel tariffs, but disputes over hormone beef, illegal tax breaks and registering food names still threaten to sully the EU-US trade waters.

<ul> ~ New trade row</ul>