WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today made the following remarks after a briefing by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, on the final, but still confidential, findings of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding a case alleging unfair supports to U.S. commercial aviation industry.

 “The final ruling by the WTO merely confirms the interim report findings, which found in Boeing’s favor on the majority of the challenges,” Roberts said.  “Attempts to skew this ruling in the European Union’s (EU) favor is a exercise in distraction. Once this ruling is made public in the near future, the sunshine will refute much of the claims in support of the EU position and truly indicate where the market distorting benefits flowed.”

 Last June, the WTO found much of the EU’s launch aid to EADS to be illegal and trade distorting placing the U.S. aviation industry at a competitive disadvantage.

 Senator Roberts is a member of the Senate Committee on Finance which has jurisdiction on trade matters.

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