RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/W/392
G/SCM/W/402
6May1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1784)
Original: Spanish Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYHONG KONG1TONICARAGUA
CONCERNING THE LATTER 'SNOTIFICATION2OFLAWS AND
REGULATIONS UNDER ARTICLES 18.5AND 32.6
OFTHE AGREEMENTS
Thefollowing communication wasreceived on25April 1996 from thePermanent Mission
ofNicaragua.
_______________
1. Nicaragua 'snotification stipulates thattheAnti-Dumping Agreement willbecome national law
asfromthedatewhen theratification oftheWTO Agreement ispublished intheOfficial Gazette and
thatNicaragua applies theCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard
Clause which arebeing reviewed toadjust them totheAgreement.
(a) Hastheratification been published intheOfficial Gazette? Ifnotwhat isthe
timetable?
TheNicaraguan National Assembly hasratified theWTO Agreement andithasbeenpublished
inLaGaceta, theofficial gazette oftheRepublic ofNicaragua.
(b) After publication oftheratification, what isthelegal status oftheAgreement in
theNicaraguan legal system? Does ithave thesame force oflawasanyother
domestic legislation inNicaragua? AreA-Dofficials required, legally orotherwise,
toabide bytheAgreement? Ifthedomestic legislation isinconflict with the
Agreement, which willtakeprecedence?
Thenotification mentions thatNicaragua applies theCentral American Regulations onUnfair
Business Practices andSafeguard Clause which arebeing reviewed bytheCentral American authorities.
Wecannowconfirm thatthereview oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business
Practices andSafeguard Clause hasbeencompleted andthatthenewversion hasbeeninforce in
Nicaragua since 12March 1996.
Since theratification oftheAgreement ontheWTO hasnowbeenpublished inLaGaceta,
Nicaragua 'sofficial gazette, theAnti-Dumping Agreement hastheforce oflaw.
1G/ADP/W/350-G/SCM/W/358.
2G/ADP/N/1/NIC/1 andG/SCM/N/1/NIC/1 .G/ADP/W/392
G/SCM/W/402
Page2
InNicaragua, international treaties takeprecedence overdomestic legislation. IftheCentral
American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard Clause werefound toconflict with
theAnti-Dumping Agreement, thelatter would takeprecedence.
(c) What isthelegal status oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business
Practices andSafeguard Clause intheNicaraguan legal system? Dotheyhave
thesame force oflawasanyother domestic legislation inNicaragua? AreA-D
officials required, legally orotherwise toabide bytheprovisions oftheCentral
American Regulations intheconduct ofA-Dproceedings?
TheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard Clause have
beenineffect inNicaragua since 12March 1996 andhavetheforce oflaw.
Every Nicaraguan official mustabide bytheprovisions oftheAnti-Dumping Agreement which
isthelawinNicaragua. Under thedomestic legal system, oncelegislation hasentered intoforce,
noonecanplead ignorance ofthelaw.
(d) DotheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard
Clause have theforce oflawinNicaragua? Ifso,isitintended tonotify them?
TheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard Clause have
theforce oflaw,havebeenineffect since 12March 1996 andwillshortly benotified totheWTO.
(e) Ifaprovision oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices
andSafeguard Clause isinconflict withtheAnti-Dumping Agreement, which will
takeprecedence?
InNicaragua, international treaties takeprecedence overdomestic legislation. Intheevent
ofaconflict between theCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard
Clause, which havebeeninforceinNicaragua since12March 1996, andtheAnti-Dumping Agreement,
thelatter would takeprecedence.
TheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard Clause have
beenreviewed toadjust them totheAgreement. There isnopossibility ofconflict.
(f) What isthetimetable ofthereview oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair
Business Practices andSafeguard Clause?
Thereview oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices andSafeguard
Clause hasbeen completed. These newRegulations have been inforce inNicaragua since
12March 1996.
2. What judicial review procedures hasNicaragua putinplace inobservance ofitsobligations
under Article 13oftheWTO 'sAnti-Dumping Agreement?
Nicaragua hasnotputinplace anyjudicial review procedures inconnection withanti-dumping
measures.
Thejudicial mechanisms orprocedures willbedefined inNicaragua 'sForeign Trade Actwhich
iscurrently being debated inparliament.G/ADP/W/392
G/SCM/W/402
Page3
3. What isNicaragua 'spolicy andlawfortheimplementation ofWTO Panel Reports?
IftheGeneral Council oftheWTO adopts Panel Reports, Nicaragua willrespect theobligations
clearly laiddown intheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes.