Press Releases
Larsen Statement on WTO Ruling
Washington, DC,
January 31, 2011
Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement in reaction to reports on the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ruling on whether Boeing received illegal subsidies to fund aircraft construction. “Today the WTO handed Airbus a full plate of lemons, and now their spin machine is trying to turn it into lemonade. “But Airbus can’t hide from the facts: Today’s WTO ruling rejected most of Europe’s claims, finding that Boeing received less than $2.6 billion in illegal aid. The WTO already found the European Union guilty of giving Airbus nearly $20 billion in illegal subsidies. The EU is trying to make a mountain out of today’s molehill of a ruling. “As the Defense Department moves forward with the tanker competition, it cannot ignore the fact that Airbus has fueled its bid with billions of dollars in illegal subsidies from the European government. A fair, open and transparent competition must take into account the unfair competitive advantage that Airbus tanker received from these massive subsidies. “I will continue working to make sure that Washington state aerospace workers can compete for the tanker contract and new business around the world on a level playing field.” ###
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