The European Union plans to appeal as soon as Friday a ruling by the World Trade Organization that Boeing Co. received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies from U.S. federal and state governments, EU officials said, and The Wall Street Journal reports.

The EU is appealing even though it claimed victory in its case against Boeing. The quick response is partly a tactical move to force the U.S. to prepare a hastier response than it might otherwise, said people familiar with the EU's thinking.

The skirmish is the latest twist in a seven-year dispute that has become the most complex and expensive proceeding in the WTO's history.

The trade body on Thursday published the final, public ruling in a case the EU filed in 2005 against the U.S. A confidential version was released to both sides in February. In its ruling, the WTO found that Boeing received up to $6 billion in subsidies from the federal and state governments through 2006.

The WTO report "clearly shows that Boeing has received huge subsidies in the past and continues to receive significant subsidies today," said EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht in a statement.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told a news conference that the WTO had "rejected most of the arguments advanced by the EU" and had "vindicated" longstanding U.S. contentions that Airbus received far more in subsidies than Boeing.

Read the entire story at wsj.com