RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS16/6
20October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3195)
Original: Spanish
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -REGIME FOR THE IMPORTATION, SALE AND
DISTRIBUTION OFBANANAS
Communication from Nicaragua
Thefollowingcommunication,dated13October1995,fromthePermanentMissionofNicaragua
tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission, theOffice oftheUnited States Trade
Representative, thePermanent Missions ofGuatemala, Honduras andMexico andtheChairman of
theDSBiscirculated attherequest ofthePermanent Mission ofNicaragua.
TheGovernment ofNicaragua takes noteofthejoint request forconsultations made by
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States inconnection withtheEuropean Union 'sregime
fortheimportation, saleanddistribution ofbananas, established inRegulation 404/93 andthelegislation
implementing, supplementing andamending it1,which includes theFramework Agreement onBananas
(Regulation (EC) No.3290/94, OJL349).
Thebanana industry isamajor source offoreign exchange andprovides employment fora
significant sector oftheNicaraguan population. Forthisreason, myGovernment hasasubstantial
tradeinterest intheconsultations inquestion, inasmuch astheEuropean Union has,overthepastdecade,
constituted theonlymarket forNicaraguan banana exports. Accordingly, anychange thatdoesnot
takedueaccount ofNicaragua 'sinterests could haveserious affects onitseconomy.
Consequent upon thissubstantial trade interest andpursuant totheterms ofArticle 6ofthe
Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures, Article 4oftheUnderstanding onSettlement ofDisputes,
andother rules applicable inthismatter, theGovernment ofNicaragua wishes tobejoined inthis
consultation procedure.
1Document WT/DS16/1, 4October 1994.