RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS9/1
10July 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-1887)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -DUTIES ONIMPORTS OFCEREALS
Request forConsultations byCanada
Thefollowing communication dated 30June 1995 from thePermanent Mission ofCanada to
thePermanent Delegation oftheCommission oftheEuropean Communities inGeneva iscirculated
inaccordance with Article 4.4oftheDSU.
_______________
The Government ofCanada requests consultations with theCommission oftheEuropean
Communities pursuant toArticle XXIII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, and
Article 19oftheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs
andTrade 1994, regarding certain regulations oftheEuropean Communities concerning cereals. These
regulations include, butarenotlimited to,Council Regulation (EEC) No.1766/92, Council Regulation
(EC) No.3290/94, andCouncil Regulation (EC) VI/2321/95.
Council regulations (EC) No.3290/94 and(EC) No.VI/2321/95 areintended toimplement
some oftheEuropean Communities 'Uruguay Round concessions onagriculture, including thefollowing
concessionwithrespecttocertaincereals,containedinaheadnotetotheEuropeanCommunities'Schedule
annexed totheMarrakesh Protocol totheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994;
"The Community undertakes inrespect ofcereals falling within theheading
- ex1001 wheat
- 1002 rye
- 1003 barley
- ex1005 maize, except hybrid seed, and
- ex1007 sorghum, except hybrids forsowing
toapply aduty atalevel andinamanner sothattheduty-paid import price forsuch cereals
willnotbegreater than theeffective intervention price (orinevent ofamodification ofthecurrent
system, theeffective support price) increased by55%.
Theduty applied shall innocase exceed theduty established according tothisschedule."
Theregulations cited above impose aduty onwheat imports based onreference prices rather than
transaction values. Asaresult, theduty-paid import price forCanadian wheat willbegreater than the
effective intervention price increased by55% whenever thetransaction value isgreater than the
representative price.
./.WT/DS9/1
Page2
Therefore, theGovernment ofCanada isoftheview thatthese regulations areinconsistent with
theobligations oftheEuropean Communities under theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994,
andtheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade
1994. Theprovisions ofthese agreements with which these regulations areinconsistent include, but
arenotlimited to,thefollowing:
(i) General Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Articles IIandVII;
(ii) Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs and
Trade 1994, Article 1.
Inaccordance with Article 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing the
Settlement ofDisputes, theGovernment ofCanada requests consultations with theCommission ofthe
European Communities todiscuss thismatter withtheintention ofreaching amutually satisfactory result.
TheGovernment ofCanada welcomes anysuggestions theCommission oftheEuropean Communities
maywish tomake concerning dates onwhich theconsultations could takeplace within thirty days from
thedate ofreceipt ofthisrequest.