WTO to rule in EU-US customs row

The World Trade Organisation agreed today to rule on the legality of the EU’s customs regulations, which the US says are a barrier to international trade.

Speaking to a meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body in Geneva, US Ambassador Linnet Deily said Washington was concerned about inconsistent enforcement of customs law in the EU.

She also criticised Brussels for failing to maintain a single body to review and correct administrative decisions.

Washington claims the EU is failing to respect global trade rules set by the WTO because it has a complex set of customs regulations that vary from country to country in the 25 nation bloc.

The US says this amounts to a trade barrier because it makes it harder for foreign companies to enter the European market.

Trade officials said the EU countered that the US had failed to provide a single example of a American company encountering practical problems with Brussels’ customs regulations.