BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Commission said it regretted Washington's announcement that it was filing a complaint against the European Union before the World Trade Organization over the EU's customs system.
"We regret the US move to bring this issue to the WTO rather than using the bilateral EU-US Joint Customs Council, which would have provided a better forum for resolving these issues," said spokeswoman Arancha Gonzalez for Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy in a statement.
"We now hope that any disagreement over this matter can be satisfactorily resolved in consultations and that we do not need to move to litigation.
"The consultations will give us an opportunity to explain to the US that we fully comply with all WTO rules relating to customs matters," she added.
The United States said earlier Tuesday it was filing the complaint against the EU arguing inconsistencies in EU customs rules hinder US exports.
US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said US exporters faced obstacles because customs administration in the European Union is handled differently by different member states.
"Although the EU is a customs union, there is no single EU customs administration," Zoellick's office said in a statement. "Lack of uniformity, coupled with lack of procedures for prompt EU-wide review, can hinder US exports, particularly for small to mid-size businesses."
US officials said Washington decided to bring the case in light of the recent EU expansion from 15 member states to 25. US exports to the 25 countries totaled 155.2 billion dollars (126.5 billion euros) in 2003.
A European Commission source expressed surprise at the US action, saying: "The nature of the US concerns are somewhat unclear to the EC, and the US did not exhaust the possibilities of finding a solution through bilateral discussions."
The source also dismissed the action as having "no legal basis" and that the commission complied with all WTO rules on customs.
"WTO law does not require any WTO member to establish a centralised structure dealing with customs, such as a single customs authority," the souce said.
"It is a choice of organisation which pertains to every WTO member," the source added.