RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS27/1
G/L/63
ORGANIZATION G/LIC/D/2
S/L/17
G/AG/W/18
G/TRIMS/4
12February 1996
(96-0516)
Original: Spanish/English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -REGIME FOR THE IMPORTATION, SALE
AND DISTRIBUTION OFBANANAS
Request forConsultations by
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States
Thefollowingcommunication,dated5February1996,fromthePermanentMissionsofEcuador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean
Commission andtheDispute Settlement Body, iscirculated inaccordance withArticle 4.4oftheDSU.
_______________
ThePermanent Missions inGeneva ofEcuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States
wishtoconvey toyou,onbehalf oftheirrespective governments, acting jointly andseverally, each
intheexercise oftherights accruing toitasamember oftheWTO, arequest forconsultations with
theEuropeanCommunitiespursuanttoArticle4oftheUnderstandingonRulesandProceduresgoverning
theSettlement ofDisputes, Article XXIII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article
6oftheAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures (totheextent thatitrelates toArticle XXIII of
GATT 1994), Article XXIII oftheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices, Article 19oftheAgreement
onAgriculture (totheextent thatitrelates toArticle XXIII ofGATT 1994), andArticle 8ofthe
Agreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures (totheextent thatitrelates toArticle XXIII ofGATT
1994) regarding theECregime fortheimportation, saleanddistribution ofbananas established by
Regulation 404/93 (OJL47of25February 1993, p.1),andthesubsequent EClegislation, regulations
andadministrative measures, including those reflecting theprovisions oftheFramework Agreement
onbananas, which implement, supplement andamend thatregime.
Intheopinion ofourGovernments theconcerned ECregime contains anumber ofrules
inconsistent withECobligations contracted under theGATT 1994 andtheother citedAgreements.
Theinconsistencies referred toare,among others, thefollowing provisions:
(1) Articles I,II,III,X,XIandXIIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade
1994;
(2) Articles 1and3oftheAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures;
(3) TheAgreement onAgriculture;
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(4) Articles II,IV,XVIandXVII oftheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices; and,
(5) Articles 2and5oftheAgreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures.
These measures alsoproduce distorsions which appear tonullify orimpair benefits accruing
toEcuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States, directly orindirectly under thecited
agreements, andtoimpede theobjectives oftheGATT 1994 andtheother citedAgreements.
Welookforward toreceiving yourreply tothisrequest andtofixing amutually convenient
dateforconsultations.