GENEVA, Nov 29: The World Trade Organization has ruled in favour of the United States in a dispute with the European Union over maintaining duties on certain steel products from Germany, sources at the WTO said on Friday.

The decision by the WTO appellate body will allow Washington to maintain countervailing import duties on corrosion-resistant carbon steel from Germany.

The United States imposed the duties in August 1993 on grounds that some German producers benefited from government subsidies to the detriment of equivalent US products.

Five years later, the United States decided to keep the duties in place, judging that the subsidies had remained above the authorized limit.

The European Union challenged the US argument and lodged a complaint with the WTO.

A WTO expert panel upheld the EU position in July 2002, prompting a US appeal in September.—AFP