RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS12/1
G/L/17
G/TBT/D/1
ORGANIZATION 25July1995
(95-2159)
Original: Spanish
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -TRADE DESCRIPTION OFSCALLOPS
Request forConsultations byPeru
Thefollowing communication, dated 18July1995, from thePermanent Mission ofPeruto
thePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission iscirculated inaccordance withArticle 4.4
oftheDSU.
_______________
Inthename oftheGovernment ofPeru, Ihavethehonour torequest consultations withthe
European Union concerning theFrench Government Order NOR MERP9300051 Aof22March 1993
andsubsequent amendments laying down theofficial names andthetrade description ofpectinidae
(scallops).
Thisrequest ismade pursuant toArticle XXII:1 oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade
(GATT) 1994, Article 14.1oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, andArticle 4ofthe
Understanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes oftheWorld Trade
Organization.
TheaimoftheFrench Order anditssubsequent amendments istorestrict theuseofthetrade
description "coquille Saint-Jacques" or"noix decoquille Saint-Jacques" toaspecified number ofspecies
ofthegenus pectinidae. Formany years, thePeruvian scallop "concha deabanico" whose scientific
name isArgopecten purpuratus hasbeenimported intoFrance andsoldontheFrench market under
thetrade description "coquille Saint-Jacques" or"noix decoquille Saint-Jacques". Themostrecent
amendmenttotheabove-mentionedFrenchOrderpermitsthetradedescription"Petoncle(Saint-Jacques)"
tobeusedforthePeruvian product upto31December next. Thesame amendment stipulates that,
from 1January 1996, onlythetrade description "Petoncle" maybeusedforthePeruvian product.
These provisions willhaveanadverse effect ontrade inthePeruvian "concha deabanico"
since restricting thatproduct tothetradedescription "Petoncle" means linking ittoaproduct oflower
quality andpriceontheFrench market, thereby causing obvious economic injury. TheFrench measures
areunjustified, notonlybecause theyarecontrary totraditional trade practice butalsobecause the
consumer makes nodistinction between thePeruvian Argopecten purpuratus andother scallops which
canbecalled "Saint-Jacques", there being infactnodifference interms ofsize,texture, appearance
oruse.
Peruconsiders thattheseFrench measures areinconsistent withtheprovisions oftheAgreement
onTechnical Barriers toTrade (Articles 2.1,2.2and12)andArticles IandIIIoftheGATT 1994.
./.WT/DS12/1
G/L/17
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TheFrench Order anditsamendments cannot bejustified under theWTO Agreement sincetheynullify
andimpair Peru'srights within thatOrganization.
Since 1993, Peruhasonnumerous occasions expressed itsconcern about thismatter tothe
French Government without asyethaving received asatisfactory reply.
Inaddition,PeruhasassociateditselfwiththeconsultationswiththeEuropeanUnionconcerning
theFrench Order requested byCanada under Article XXII oftheGATT 1994.
Peruhopes thattheconsultations requested willbeheldassoonaspossible withaview to
arrivingatasatisfactorysolutionwhichwillrestorethelong-standingandtraditionalcompetitiveposition
ofthePeruvian product ontheFrench market.