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Source: Reuters
Airbus nations urged the European Union to appeal against a
global trade ruling condemning loan payments to the planemaker and
pledged to continue discussing financing for the A350
jetliner.
The ruling from the World Trade Organisation failed to establish
that Europe's system of aircraft loan financing as a whole was at
fault, European officials said.
Ministers from France, Germany, Britain and Spain - four countries
that founded Airbus 40 years ago - discussed the issue on the
sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow.
"It is an unfair situation. All four of us deplore it and our
wish is that the (European) Commission appeals as quickly as
possible," French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau
said.
"France believes the WTO panel confirmed that the principles of
reimbursable advances do not contravene WTO rules," he told a news
conference.
Airbus is in talks with European governments to obtain further
loans for development of its future A350 jetliner, to be paid back
from a royalty on future sales of the plane.
"I can say we are encouraged by progress to date," Mark Prisk,
junior British minister for business, said of the talks.
"Clearly it's a complex set of negotiations and obviously all of us
are committed to acting consistently with our international
obligations, as you would expect."
Ministers said France was in discussions to supply 1.4 billion
Euros, Germany 1.12 billion Euros, Spain 332 million Euros and
Britain 340 million pounds in A350 development loans.
Boeing says such loans are unfair and should be withdrawn.
It reiterated calls for future loans to be on a commercial
footing.
"The WTO has set a clear legal principle that government loans to
Airbus must be on commercial terms, otherwise they are an illegal
subsidy and inconsistent with WTO rules," Boeing spokesman Charlie
Miller said.
The WTO said last month three European countries had given
prohibited export subsidies as loans for the A380 superjumbo.
Prisk said the four countries were unhappy about a WTO decision to
delay ruling on an EU counter-case which alleges that Boeing
received illegal aid in research grants.
The EU has until July 21 to appeal in the original case brought by
the United States and is expected to do so - a move that legal
experts say would trigger a US counter-appeal.
