EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN IMPORT DUTIES ON RICE
Document: Request for Consultations by India
Date: 8 June 1998
Document codes: WT/DS134/1; G/L/245; G/VAL/D/1; G/LIC/D/23; G/AG/GEN/24; G/TBT/D/16; G/SPS/GEN/73
Complainant: India
Respondent: EU
Dispute stage: Consultation
Agreements cited: Art. 4  AgricultureArt. I, II, III, VIII, XI  GATT 1994Art. 1, 3  Import LicensingArt. 2  Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)Art. 2  Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)Art. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11  Customs valuation

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESTRICTIONS ON
CERTAIN IMPORT DUTIES ON RICE
Request for Consultations by India
The following communication, dated 27 May 1998, from the Permanent Mission of India to
the Permanent Delegation of the European Commission and to the Dispute Settlement Body, is
circulated in accordance with Article 4.4 of the DSU.
My authorities have instructed me to request consultations with the European Commission
(EC) pursuant to Article 4 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of
Disputes, Article XXII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994), Article 19
of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade 1994, Article 6 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, Article 19 of the Agreement
on Agriculture, Article 14 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, and Article 11 of the
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures regarding the restrictions
introduced by the European Commission through th e Cumulative Recovery System (CRS), for
determining certain import duties on rice with effect from 1 July 1997 through Commission
Regulation No. 703/97 dated 18 April 1997.
The measures introduced through this new Regulation will restrict the number of importers of
rice from India, and will have a limiting effect on the export of rice from India to the EC. The
restrictions imposed through the CRS appear to be inconsistent with the obligations of the EC under
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and the Agreement on Implementation of
Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
The Government of India considers the restrict ions introduced by the European Commission
on imports of rice, in particular on basmati rice, through the above-mentioned Regulation, constitutes
an infringement of the following provisions:
(i) Articles I, II, III, VIII and XI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994;
(ii) Articles 1 through 7, 11 and Annex I of the Agreement on Implementation of
Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994;
(iii) Articles 1 and 3 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures;
WT/DS134/1, G/L/245,
G/VAL/D/1, G/LIC/D/23,
G/AG/GEN/24, G/TBT/D/16,

(iv) Article 2, in particular 2.1 and 2.2, of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade;
and
(v) Article 2 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures;
(vi) Article 4 of the Agreement on Agriculture.
India considers that the benefits accruing to it directly or indirectly under the various
Agreements referred to above are being nullified or impaired because of the failure of the EC to carry
out its obligations under the provisions of various Agreements referred to above.
We look forward to receiving your reply to the present request and to fixing a mutually
convenient date for consultations in this regard.