United States Wins WTO Dispute with EU on High-Tech Products

On August 16, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that a WTO dispute settlement panel upheld the U.S. claim that the EU violated its WTO tariff commitments by imposing duties as high as 14% on three high-tech products. For all three products at issue – flat panel computer monitors, multifunction printers, and certain cable, satellite, and other set-top boxes – the Panel concluded that the EU tariffs were inconsistent with its obligations. The report helps ensure that U.S. producers of high-tech products will continue to be able to export those products to Europe duty-free as guaranteed by commitments made by the EU following the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA). Ambassador Kirk called the ruling “an important victory for U.S. technology manufacturers and workers,” adding that it “affirms the principle that changes in technology are not an excuse to apply new duties to products covered by the Information Technology Agreement.”