WORLD TRADE WT/DS77/3/Rev.1
6October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4257)
Original: English
ARGENTINA -MEASURES AFFECTING
TEXTILES, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR
Request fortheEstablishment ofaPanel bytheEuropean Communities
Revision
Thefollowing communication, dated 10September 1997, fromthePermanent Delegation of
theEuropean Commission totheChairman oftheDispute Settlement Body, iscirculated attherequest
ofthatdelegation.
_______________
Myauthorities have asked metosubmit thefollowing request onbehalf oftheEuropean
Communities andtheirMember States forconsideration atthenextmeeting oftheDispute Settlement
Body tobeheldon25September 1997.
On23April 1997 theEuropean Communities (hereafter referred toastheEC)requested
consultations withArgentina pursuant toArticle XXII:1 oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade
1994("GATT 1994"), Article 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement
ofDisputes ("DSU") andArticle 7oftheAgreement onTextiles andClothing (ATC) withregard to
certain measures taken byArgentina concerning thetextiles, clothing andfootwear sectors.
Consultations wereheldwithArgentina on12June1997inGeneva. These consultations have
allowed abetter understanding oftherespective positions buthavenotledtoasatisfactory resolution
ofthematter. TheECtherefore nowrequests thatapanel beestablished, withthestandard terms
ofreference.
Theprincipal measures towhich theECobjects aretheimposition ofminimum specific duties
ontextiles andclothing products. These were originally imposed bytheMinistry ofEconomics,
Infrastructure andPublic Works withResolution No.811/93 of29July1993andhavebeenmodified
onnumerous occasions, most recently byResolution No.597/97 oftheMinistry ofEconomics,
Infrastructure andPublic Works of14May1997. These measures
- cause duties tobeimposed inexcess ofArgentina 's35%Uruguay Round binding;
- prevent improved market access forECtextile andclothing products;
- havenotbeennotified totheTextiles Monitoring Body.
TheECwillinparticular request thatthepanel consider andfindthatthemeasures described
above areinbreach ofArgentina 'sconcessions under Article IIofGATT 1994 andviolate Article 7
oftheATC.
Theabove summary isdesigned tobriefly describe thelegalbasis ofthecomplaint sufficient
topresent theproblem clearly butisnottobetaken asrestricting thearguments which theECmay
develop before thepanel.