On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, the World Trade Organization found in favor of the European Union and Sidley client Airbus, in authorizing the European Union to impose countermeasures against the United States in the amount of US$4 billion annually. The WTO award allows the European Union to impose countermeasures in the form of tariffs on US$4 billion in U.S. goods exported to the European Union, to remedy economic harm suffered by Airbus at the hands of decades-long, extensive subsidization by the United States government of U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The award caps 16 years of litigation between the European Union and the United States over U.S. aid to Boeing. With the United States’ companion dispute against EU support to Airbus, the litigation represents the world’s largest-ever trade dispute.
The cross-border Sidley team included partners Todd Friedbacher (Geneva), Maurits Lugard (Brussels), Andy Shoyer (Washington, D.C.), Eric Solovy (Washington, D.C.), Richard Weiner (Washington, D.C.), and Arnoud Willems (Brussels); senior counsel Scott Andersen (Geneva); counsel Christian Lau (Geneva), Rajib Pal (Washington, D.C.), and Tatjana Sachse (Geneva); senior associates Dominic Coppens (Brussels), Deepak Raju (Geneva), and Katie von der Weid (Geneva); associates Carys Golesworthy (Washington, D.C.), Maryanne Kamau (Brussels), Alexandra Maurer (Washington, D.C.), Alessandra Moroni (Brussels), Riana Terney (Washington, D.C.), and Ariane Vincent (Geneva); managing economist Simon Schropp (Washington, D.C.); and economists Olim Latipov (Geneva) and Kornel Mahlstein (Geneva).
