RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS27/6
12April 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1359)
Original: Spanish/English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -REGIME FOR THE IMPORTATION, SALE
AND DISTRIBUTION OFBANANAS
Request fortheEstablishment ofaPanel
Thefollowing communication, dated 11April 1996, from thePermanent Missions ofEcuador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States totheChairman oftheDispute Settlement Body,
iscirculated attherequest ofthese missions.
_______________
TheEuropean Communities maintains aregime fortheimportation, saleanddistribution of
bananas established byRegulation 404/93 (O.J. L47of25February 1993, p.1),andsubsequent EC
legislation, regulations andadministrative measures, including those reflecting theprovisions ofthe
Framework Agreement onbananas, which implement, supplement andamend thatregime. Theregime
andrelated measures appear tobeinconsistent with theobligations oftheECunder, inter alia,the
General Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 ("GATT 1994"), theAgreement onImport Licensing
Procedures, theAgreement onAgriculture, theGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices ("GATS")
andtheAgreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures ("TRIMs Agreement").
On5February 1996, thegovernments ofEcuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andthe
United States requested consultations withtheEuropean Communities pursuant toArticle 4oftheDSU,
ArticleXXIIIoftheGATT1994,Article19oftheAgreementonAgriculture,Article6oftheAgreement
onImport Licensing Procedures, Article XXIII oftheGATS, andArticle 8oftheTRIMs Agreement.
That request wascirculated toMembers on12February 1996 (WT/DS27/1). Consultations were held
pursuant totherequest on14and15March 1996, butfailed tosettle thedispute.
TheGovernments ofEcuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States, acting
jointly andseverally, each intheexercise oftherights accruing toitasamember oftheWTO, therefore,
respectfully request theestablishment ofapanel toexamine thismatter inlight oftheGATT 1994,
theAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures, theAgreement onAgriculture, theGATS, andthe
TRIMs Agreement, andfindthattheEC'smeasures areinconsistent with thefollowing Agreements
andprovisions among others:
(1) Articles I,II,III,X,XIandXIII oftheGATT 1994,
(2) Articles 1and3oftheAgreement onImport Licensing Procedures,
(3) TheAgreement onAgriculture,
(4) Articles II,XVI andXVII oftheGATS, and
./.WT/DS27/6
Page 2
(5) Article 2oftheTRIMs Agreement.
These measures alsoproduce distortions which nullify orimpair benefits accruing toEcuador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States, directly orindirectly, under thecited Agreements;
andthese measures impede theobjectives oftheGATT 1994 andtheother cited Agreements.
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico andtheUnited States askthatthisrequest forthe
establishment ofapanel beinscribed ontheagenda ofthemeeting oftheDispute Settlement Body
scheduled tobeheld on24April 1996.