EU Seeks Trade Sanctions Against U.S.

[fernandovaz]

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- The European Union, risking fresh tensions with the United States, on Thursday asked for the go ahead to slap trade sanctions against Washington just as efforts get under way to revive global commerce talks.

The sanctions, which could run to hundreds of millions of dollars of duties on U.S. goods, aim to force Washington to revoke a scheme under which local companies benefit when anti-dumping duties are imposed on foreign competitors.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has repeatedly ruled the measure, known as the "Byrd amendment," illegal. The EU was set to be joined in its sanctions request later on Thursday by other nations including Japan, China, Brazil, India and South Korea.

"The Byrd amendment has raised widespread concerns from the outset as evidenced by the large number of complainants in this case," European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said.


http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/01/15/wto.sanctions.reut/

[fernandovaz]

1. does anyone know if the "Byrd amendment"

was authored by Robert Byrd?

[the populist]

2. f**k the EU

I love Europe (especially France and Germany) but they should go fuck themselves on trade matters.

[HereSince1628]

3. Does anyone know if the US has a postive balance of trade with

any of the nations mentioned in this article?

[denverbill]

4. The right would vote for anything if you call it part of the war on terror

Seriously, I bet if you could formulate a remotely feasible reason, like, 'we need national health care to fight the war on terror, because without it, we have no way of successfully combatting a anthrax attack', I bet 1/2 the right-wingers in the country would believe it.

After all, they believed everything Bush has told them.

[fernandovaz]

5. good points

but I don't see what it has to do with the article.