The European Union (EU) on Monday decided to impose 9.1 million U.S. dollars-worth in additional retaliatory sanctions on the imports from the United States, which had taken anti-dumping measures to protect its domestic companies.

The new sanctions will bring to 36.9 million dollars the total amount of the punitive tariffs payments incurred on U.S. imports in the 12 months from May 1, up from 27.8 million dollars in the previous 12-month period,according to a statement issued by the European Commission.

The punitive 15 percent additional import duty would cover eight new products, including different types of blankets, paper products, photocopying apparatus and drills, according to the EU executive body.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson's office justified the new move on grounds that it was made to counter an increase in the disbursement to U.S. companies of duties collected from EU products under the so-called Byrd Amendment in 2005.

The Byrd amendment, approved in 2000, was ruled illegal by the Geneva-based World Trade Organization in 2002.

Although the U.S. House of Representatives approved a budget bill in February to repeal the disputed trade law in October 2007, the U.S. government payments to American companies are scheduled to continue for two more years, which arouses protests from the EU.

Source: Xinhua