EU and US apparently reach settlement in online gambling dispute
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Various sources are reporting this morning that the United States and the European Union have reached an agreement regarding the compensation the US will provide to the EU for violation of WTO policies.
The WTO ruled earlier this year that the US had violated WTO agreements regarding open market access for trading partners by allowing domestic operators to offer online wagering while denying foreign businesses the same opportunity. The original claim was brought against the US by Antigua, but once the US was found in violation, all WTO members impacted by the violation, which included the EU, had the right to seek compensation.
The nature of the agreement between the EU and the US is still murky, but it what it certainly does not include are any of the concessions by the US regarding online gambling that many in the industry had been hoping for. Early analysis of the deal suggests that the value falls far below the compensation levels EU officials and pundits had been predicting over the last few weeks. Comment from the European Commission regarding the deal to Reuters:
“A bilateral agreement was signed in Geneva, which provides EU service suppliers with new trade opportunities in the U.S. postal and courier, research and development, storage and warehouse sectors,” the Commission said in a statement. “The U.S. also made concessions in the testing and analysis services sector.”
Analysis of the deal from the BBC:
The concessions, which relate to mail and storage services among others, will affect how Germany’s DHL competes with US-based firms Fedex and UPS.
The proposed deal also includes new US market opportunities for European firms offering testing and analysis services, as well as in research and development.
EU officials did not say how much the deal was worth.
Also, here’s a good article from the IHT that summarizes the story so far and offers quality analysis regarding likely outcomes.
Finally, here’s the 2+2 thread where the decision is being discussed and the link to the same on the PPA forums.
