RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DSB/M/20
29July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2992)
DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
5July1996
MINUTES OFMEETING
Held intheCentre William Rappard
on5July1996
Chairman: Mr.C.Lafer (Brazil)
Subjects discussed: Page
1. United States -Tariff increases onproducts from theEuropean Communities 1
- Request bytheEuropean Communities fortheestablishment ofapanel 1
2. Proposed nominations fortheindicative listofgovernmental andnon-governmental
panelists 2
3. European Communities -Trade description ofscallops 2
- Mutually agreed solutions 2
4. United States -Standards forreformulated andconventional gasoline 3
- Period oftimeforimplementation oftheDSBrecommendations 3
5. UnitedStates-Anti-dumpinginvestigationregardingimportsoffreshorchilledtomatoes
from Mexico. 3
- Statement byMexico 3
6. Curricula vitaeofrepresentatives totheWTO 3
- Announcement bytheChairman 3
7. DSBreport totheGeneral Council fortheSingapore Ministerial Meeting 4
- Announcement bytheChairman 4
1. United States -Tariff increases onproducts from theEuropean Communities
- Request bytheEuropean Communities fortheestablishment ofapanel
(WT/DS39/2)
TheChairman drewattention tothecommunication fromtheEuropean Communities contained
inWT/DS39/2.
Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities saidthateightandahalfyears agotheUnited
States hadimposed unilateral measures which continued tobeapplied toarange ofexport products
oftheCommunities amounting tooverUS$90million. Consultations onthismatter hadbeenheldWT/DSB/M/20
Page2
withtheUnited States, andasindicated inWT/DS39/2 hadfailed toprovide asolution totheproblem.
Therefore, theCommunities hadlittlechoice buttoseektheestablishment ofapanel toexamine this
matter. Asindicated intheabove-mentioned document, theCommunities believed thatthemeasures
concerned wereinconsistent withtheUnited States 'obligations under theGATT 1994 andunder the
DSU, namely Articles I,IIandXXIII ofGATT 1994 andArticles 3,22,and23oftheDSU.
Furthermore, inthelightoftheconsultations, theCommunities hadcome totheviewthatthemeasures
concerned werealsoinconsistent withtheUnited States 'obligations under Article XVI:4 oftheWTO
Agreement.
Therepresentative oftheUnited States saidthat, asmentioned intherequest ofthe
Communities,theoriginofthisactionwastheCommunities'legislationimposingbansontheimportation
ofmeat treated withcertain substances having ahormonal action. From 1985 to1987, theUnited
States hadattempted topursue itsrights under theGATT andinparticular under theTokyo Round
AgreementonTechnicalBarrierstoTrade.TheCommunitieshadlefttheUnitedStateswithoutrecourse
under theGATT 1947system. After extensive delays, theselection ofpanelists inthedispute settlement
action pursued bytheUnited States withregard totheCommunities 'measures concerning meatand
meat products1,hadbeencompleted onlythree daysago. Hisauthorities were nowreviewing the
situation inlightofthisdevelopment. Consequently, theUnited States wasnotprepared toagree to
theestablishment ofapanel atthepresent meeting.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatements andagreed torevert tothismatter atitsnextmeeting.
2. Proposed nominations fortheindicative listofgovernmental andnon-governmental panelists
(WT/DSB/W/30).
TheChairmandrewattentiontodocumentWT/DSB/W/30containingadditionalnamesproposed
byMembers forinclusion ontheindicative listofgovernmental andnon-governmental panelists in
accordance withArticle 8.4oftheDSU. Heproposed thattheDSBapprove thenames contained therein.
TheDSBsoagreed.
3. European Communities -Trade description ofscallops
- Mutually agreed solutions
Therepresentative ofCanada, speaking under "Other Business", wished toinform theDSB,
onbehalfoftheEuropeanCommunities,ChileandPeru,thatmutuallyagreedsolutionshadbeenreached
inbothdisputes regarding theCommunities 'trade description ofscallops2.Details ofthemutually
agreed solutions would benotified totheDSBshortly.
TheChairman recalled hisstatement made attheDSBmeeting on24April 1994, when he
hadstressed theimportance ofnotifying totheDSBallmutually agreed solutions forthegoodoperation
ofthedispute settlement mechanism.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatements.
1WT/DS26 .
2WT/DS7; WT/DS12 and14.WT/DSB/M/20
Page3
4. United States -Standards forreformulated andconventional gasoline
- Period oftimeforimplementation oftheDSBrecommendations
Therepresentative ofVenezuela, speaking under "Other Business", saidthatsince theDSB
meeting on19June, theUnited States andVenezuela hadbeen holding consultations aimed at
determining, bymutual agreement andinconformity withArticle 21.3oftheDSU, a"reasonable period
oftime" required bytheUnited States toimplement therecommendations adopted bytheDSBon20
May1996. Article 21.3(b) oftheDSU provided thattheparties tothedispute should agree onthe
"reasonable period oftime" fortheimplementation oftheDSBrecommendations within 45daysafter
thedateofadoption ofthose recommendations. Fortransparency purposes, hewished toinform the
DSBthatbothparties hadconsidered ituseful toextend this45-day period forafewdayswithaview
toreaching amutually agreed decision onthismatter inlinewiththespirit oftheDSU. Hehoped
thatshortly bothGovernments would beabletoinform theDSBoftheresults oftheconsultations.
Therepresentative ofBrazil informed theDSB thathiscountry wascurrently pursuing
consultationswiththeUSauthoritiesonthequestionoftheimplementationoftheDSBrecommendations.
Brazil hoped tobeinaposition toinform theDSBinafewdaysoftheresults oftheconsultations.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatements.
5. United States -Anti-dumping investigation regarding imports offresh orchilled tomatoes
from Mexico.
- Statement byMexico
Therepresentative ofMexico, speaking under "Other Business", informed theDSBthaton
1July1996,MexicohadrequestedtheUnitedStatestoholdconsultationswithregardtotheanti-dumping
investigationonimportsoffreshorchilledtomatoesfromMexico3.Sincetheseproductswereperishable,
Mexicohadconsideredthattheconsultationsinquestionshouldfollowthedisputesettlementproceedings
forcases ofurgency pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle 4.8and4.9oftheDSU. These consultations
would allow Mexico toprovide itsviews ontheincompatibility oftheUnited States 'investigation with
itsobligations under theAnti-Dumping Agreement. Furthermore, Mexico hadnoted withsatisfaction
therecent decision oftheUSInternational Trade Commission (ITC) toreject therequest ofFlorida
producers fortheapplication ofasafeguard measure against tomatoes andpeppers fromMexico. His
delegation hoped thatasaresult oftheconsultations andgiven theITC'snegative finding oninjury,
which implied thetermination ofthesafeguard investigation, Mexican exports oftomatoes would not
beaffected bytheanti-dumping investigation.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatement.
6. Curricula vitaeofrepresentatives totheWTO
- Announcement bytheChairman
TheChairman, speaking under "Other Business", saidthatthecomposition ofpanels had
sometimes become adifficult andtime-consuming process, inpartduetothepractice thatcitizens of
Members whose governments were parties orthirdparties tothedispute normally didnotserve on
panels. Asaresult, theSecretariat hadtolookforqualified individuals from alimited number of
countries inorder topropose nominations forpanels under Article 8.6oftheDSU. Theindicative
3WT/DS49/1 .WT/DSB/M/20
Page4
listofgovernmental andnon-governmental panelists maintained bytheSecretariat which hadbeen
considerably expanded inrecent months hadbeenuseful fortheselection process. However, itwas
stillnotsufficient tomeetthegrowing demand forpotential panelists.
Parties toadispute oftenwished thatGeneva-based WTO representatives serve onpanels, partly
because delegates knew eachother well. However, forconsideration byparties intheircapitals, the
Secretariat wasfrequently requested forup-dated oradditional information onproposed panelists,
including those based inGeneva. Such requests placed theSecretariat inadifficult position because
itpreferred nottocontact apotential panelist untilthatperson wasacceptable totheparties. Inorder
toalleviate these difficulties, theSecretariat would welcome thatMembers filedthecurricula-vitae
ofGeneva-based representatives which might beinvited toserve onpanels. Theintention wasnot
tohavenewnominations fortheindicative listofpanelists butjusttomake available totheSecretariat
thecurricula-vitae ofGeneva-based representatives foruseduring theconsultation process onthe
composition ofpanels.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatement.
7. DSBreport totheGeneral Council fortheSingapore Ministerial Meeting
- Announcement bytheChairman
TheChairman,speakingunder"OtherBusiness",recalledthattheGeneralCouncilwasexpected
toadopt itsreport totheSingapore Ministerial Conference atitsmeeting on7November 1996. In
thisconnection, heproposed thattheDSBsubmit areport which would basically follow thepattern
ofthereport presented theprevious yearfortheannual overview oftheWTO activities. Thereport
which would beofadescriptive andfactual nature would alsoemphasize theeffective functioning of
theDSB. Itwould becirculated totheDSBintheautumn sothatitmight beconsidered andnoted
bytheGeneral Council atitsmeeting on7November.
TheDSBtooknoteofthestatement.