WORLD TRADE WT/DS27/8
23December 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-5403)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -REGIME FOR THE IMPORTATION,
SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OFBANANAS
Communication from theChairman ofthePanel
Thefollowingcommunication,dated17December1996andaddressedtotheDisputeSettlement
Body, iscirculated inaccordance withArticle 12.9oftheDSU.
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Article 12.8 oftheDSU stipulates thattheperiod inwhich thepanel shall conduct its
examination, fromthedatethatthecomposition andterms ofreference ofthepanel havebeendecided
untilthedatethefinalreport isissued totheparties, shall, asageneral rule,notexceed sixmonths.
Article 12.9oftheDSUstates thatwhen thepanel considers thatitcannot issueitsreport within
sixmonths, itshallinform theDispute Settlement Body (DSB) inwriting ofthereasons forthedelay
together withanestimate oftheperiod within which itwillissue itsreport.
ThePanel "European Communities -Régime fortheImportation, SaleandDistribution of
Bananas" wasestablished bytheDSBon8May1996 and,attherequest ofEcuador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States, theDirector-General announced thecomposition ofthePanel
on7June1996. Inlightofanumber offactors including (i)thelarge number ofparties andthird
parties tothedispute; (ii)thenumber andcomplexity ofclaims presented bythefivecomplainants;
(iii)thenumber ofWTO Agreements involved, some ofwhich havebeeninvoked forthefirsttime
indispute settlement proceedings; (iv)thewish oftheparties tousethemaximum timeperiods
prescribed intheDSU; (v)theagreement ofthePanel torequests toextend thetimeperiods insome
instances, including adelay inthetiming ofthefirstmeeting ofthePanel withtheparties untilafter
the1996 summer break, and(vi)unforeseen developments withrespect totheservicing ofthePanel
bytheSecretariat, thePanel hasnotbeenabletoissue itsreport within sixmonths.
ThePanel expects tocomplete itswork before theendofApril 1997.