. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/GC/80 
6 August 2004 
 (04-3365) 
General Council 
27 July and 1 August 2004 Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
STATEMENT BY ECUADOR 
 
  The following statement made by Ecuador at  the General Council meeting on 27 July 2004 
under "Other Business" is being circulated to Members at the request of that delegation. 
 
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  On instructions from my Government, I hereby wish to express Ecuador's concern with regard 
to its claims of interest and the negotiations rela ting to the enlargement of the European Union (EU). 
 1. In respect of the notification by the Eur opean Communities (EC) concerning the enlargement 
of the European Union (document G/SECRET/20 da ted 30 January 2004), Ec uador submitted within 
the 90 days provided for in the Procedures for Negotiations under Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 
claims of interest regarding the following Ecuador ian export products included in Schedule 160 of the 
EC: 
  (i) Bananas (tariff item numbers 0803.00.19 and 0803.00.11).  This claim of interest was 
communicated to the European Commission by means of note verbale No. 4-2-016/04 of 22 March 2004 from the Ecuadoria n Embassy to the European Union at 
Brussels and by Note No. 4-03-22/04 of 24 March 2004 from the Permanent Mission 
of Ecuador at Geneva to the Permanent Mission of the European Communities to the 
WTO, with copies to the WTO Secretariat. 
 
 (ii) Other Ecuadorian exportable products .  This second claim of interest was 
communicated to the European Commission by means of note verbale No. 4-2-
054/04 of 28 April 2004 from the Ecuadorian Embassy to the European Union at 
Brussels and by Note No. 4-3-38/04 of 28 April 2004 from the Permanent Mission of Ecuador at Geneva to the Permanent Mi ssion of the European Communities to the 
WTO, with copies to the WTO Secretariat. 
 
2. Some four months have passed since Ecuador made its claim of interest with regard to 
bananas and around three months since its claim of  interest with regard to other Ecuadorian 
exportable products.  No reply has yet been received from the EC.  3. In the case of bananas, as of 1 May 2004,  the EC modified, by way of Commission 
Regulation (EC) No. 838/2004 of 28 April 2004, the commitments established in the respective 
schedules of the 10 new EU Members, in spite of having failed to notify the conclusion of the 
negotiations relating to document G/SECRET/20 .  Payment of a €75-per-tonne tariff applicable 
exclusively to exports by MFN suppliers was intr oduced, while market access was reduced by around 
15 per cent by the establishment of a quota of 300 ,000 tonnes to meet the demand of the 10 acceding 
countries. 
 WT/GC/80 
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4. In the annex to document G/SECRET/20, the EC recognizes Ecuador's negotiating rights with 
regard to certain products in the tariff universe as a result of EU enlargement.  Nevertheless, the EC 
has not yet recognized Ecuador's claims of interest, as required by paragraph 4 of the Procedures 
for Negotiations under Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 .  Therefore, in compliance with this 
provision, Ecuador hereby refers the matter to th e General Council. This claim is made without 
prejudice to all of Ecuador's rights under the GATT 1994 .  Full details of Ecuador's interests and 
requirements are set out in the respective above-mentioned claims of interest.  5. Finally, Ecuador wishes to reiterate its willingness to enter into negotiations as soon as 
possible with the EC under Articles 24.6 and 28 of the GATT 1994 in the light of the enlargement of 
the European Union.  
  I should be most grateful if this Note coul d be circulated to all Members of the General 
Council.  
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