DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – SAFEGUARD MEASURES ON IMPORTS OF POLYPROPYLENE BAGS AND TUBULAR FABRIC
Document: Constitution of the Panel Established at the Request of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Note by the Secretariat
Date: 14 March 2011
Document codes: WT/DS415/8; WT/DS416/8; WT/DS417/8; WT/DS418/8; WT/DS415/7; WT/DS418/7; WT/DS416/7; WT/DS417/7
Complainant: El Salvador
Respondent: Dominican
Third parties: China, Colombia, Costa Rica, EU, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Turkey, U.S.
Dispute stage: Panel
Agreements cited: Art. I:1  GATT 1994Art. 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1(a), 4.1(b), 4.1(c), 4.2(a), 4.2(b), 4.2(c), 6, 11.1(a), 5.1, 8.1, 9.1, 12.3  SafeguardsArt. XIX:1, XIX:2, II:1  GATT 1994  GATT 1994

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – SAFEGUARD MEASURES ON IMPORTS OF
POLYPROPYLENE BAGS AND TUBULAR FABRIC

Constitution of the Panel Established at the Request of
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its meeting on 7 February 2011, the Dis pute Settlement Body ("DSB") established a single
panel pursuant to the requests of Costa Rica (in document ), El Salvador (in document
), Guatemala (in document ) and Honduras (in document ), in
accordance with Article 6 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of
Disputes ("DSU").

2. The Panel's terms of reference are the following:

"To examine, in the light of the relevant provisions of the covered agreements cited
by the parties to the dispute, the matte r referred to the DSB by Costa Rica in
document , by El Salvador in document , by Guatemala in
document and by Honduras in document , and to make
such findings as will assist the DSB in ma king the recommendations or in giving the
rulings provided for in those agreements."
3. On 1 March 2011, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras jointly requested the
Director-General to determine the composition of th e panel, pursuant to paragraph 7 of Article 8 of
the DSU. This paragraph provides:

"If there is no agreement on the panelists within 20 days after the date of the
establishment of a panel, at the request of either party, the Director-General, in
consultation with the Chairman of the DSB and the Chairman of the relevant Council
or Committee, shall determine the com position of the panel by appointing the
panelists whom the Director-General consid ers most appropriate in accordance with
any relevant special or additional rules or procedures of the covered agreement or
covered agreements which are at issue in th e dispute, after consulting with the parties
to the dispute. The Chairman of th e DSB shall inform the Members of the
composition of the panel thus formed no later than 10 days after the date the
Chairman receives such a request."
4. On 11 March 2011, the Director-General acco rdingly composed the Panel as follows:

 Chairman: Mr. Pierre Pettigrew

 Members: Ms Enie Neri de Ross
 Ms Gisela Bolívar
WT/DS415/8, WT/DS416/8,
WT/DS417/8, WT/DS418/8

5. China, Colombia, Costa Rica (for WT/DS/416, WT/DS417 and WT/DS418), El Salvador (for
WT/DS415, WT/DS416 and WT/DS417), the European Union, Guatemala (for WT/DS415,
WT/DS417 and WT/DS418), Honduras (for WT/D S415, WT/DS/416 and WT/DS418), Nicaragua,
Panama, Turkey and the United St ates have reserved their rights to participate in the Panel
proceedings as third parties.