WORLD TRADE WT/DS105/1/Add.2
G/L/199/Add.2
G/LIC/D/15/Add.2
ORGANIZATION S/L/41/Add.2
G/TRIMS/D/11/Add.2
30April 1998
(98-1746)
Original: Spanish
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -REGIME FOR THE IMPORTATION,
SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OFBANANAS
Request forConsultations byPanama
Addendum
Thefollowing communication, dated 20April 1998, fromthePermanent Mission ofPanama
tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission andtotheDispute Settlement Body, is
circulated inaccordance withArticle 4.4oftheDSU.
_______________
OnbehalfofthePermanentMissionofPanamatotheWorldTradeOrganizationIherebyrequest
you,inyourcapacity asrepresentative ofthePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission to
theWorld Trade Organization, tocontinue theconsultations withtheEuropean Communities thatwere
initiated lastDecember 1997 withaviewtoexamining, withparticular emphasis, the"Proposal for
aCouncilRegulation(EC)amendingCouncilRegulation(EEC)No.404/93onthecommonorganization
ofthemarket forbananas andtheRecommendation foraCouncil Decision authorizing theCommission
tonegotiate withcountries having asubstantial interest inthesupply ofbananas inorder toreach an
Agreement ontheallocation oftariff quotas andthetraditional ACP quantity (submitted bythe
Commission) COM/98/4 final -98/0013 (CNS)" adopted bytheEuropean Commission on
14January 1998andcurrently awaiting approval bytheCouncil ofMinisters, aswellasanysubsequent
legislation, regulations and/or administrative measures adopted bytheEuropean Communities which
implement, supplement oramend thesaidproposal, including thosereflecting, maintaining orreinstating
theprovisions oftheFramework Agreement onBananas.
Thisrequest ismade onthebasisofArticle 4oftheUnderstanding ontheRules andProcedures
Governing theSettlement ofDisputes (DSU), Article XXII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs and
Trade (GATT) 1994, Article XXIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices (GATS) andArticle 6
oftheAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures (totheextent thatitisrelated toArticle XXII of
theGATT 1994).
TheGovernment ofPanama takestheviewthatthediscriminatory quota allocation provisions,
thelicensing provisions which permit themaintenance ofdiscriminatory andinsufficiently transparent
regulations, andtheprovisions adopted bytheEuropean Commission on14January 1998, currently
awaiting approval bytheCouncil ofMinisters, areclearly inconsistent withtheEuropean Communities '
./.WT/DS105/1/Add.2, G/L/199/Add.2,
G/LIC/D/15/Add.2, S/L/41/Add.2,
G/TRIMS/D/11/Add.2
Page2
obligations under Article XIIIoftheGATT 1994, andraise doubts astotheir consistency with
Articles I,IIandIIIofthatAgreement, Articles IIandXVII oftheGATS andArticles 1and3of
theAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures.
These provisions alsoappear tonullify orimpair benefits accruing toPanama directly or
indirectly asaresult ofthecited Agreements andtohinder attainment oftheobjectives ofthose
Agreements.
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