The Unites States was requesting the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a compliance panel to address the European Union's (EU) failure to remove subsidies to Airbus, the U.S. trade representative's office said on Friday.

"In December 2011, the EU claimed to have removed the WTO inconsistencies, but provided no evidence to support its claims. However, the EU has not removed its WTO-inconsistent subsidies and has even provided new ones," the U.S. trade representative's office said in a statement.

Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative said the action emphasized the Obama Administration's commitment to ensuring that every trade partner played by the rules, and that American companies can compete on a level playing field.

In June 2011, the WTO ruled that the EU and four of its member states conferred more than 18 billion dollars in subsidized financing to Airbus. The WTO also found that these subsidies caused Boeing to lose sales of more than 300 aircraft and to lose market share throughout the world.

The U.S. and the EU had held consultations in January 2012, but failed to resolve the dispute. Therefore, the U.S. asked for a meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body on April 13 to address the issue.

The U.S. move ratcheted up the long-running battle with the EU over subsidies to the aerospace rivals Airbus and Boeing.

The EU voiced regret at the U.S. decision and alleged that the U.S. itself had not contained its WTO-illegal support for Boeing.

"We regret that the U.S. has chosen to take this step, since the EU notified its compliance with its WTO obligations in the package of steps taken at the end of 2011, and the U.S. has yet to do the same in the Boeing case," said the European Commission's trade spokesman John Clancy.