RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS17/1
G/L/27
G/AG/W/10
ORGANIZATION 11October 1995
(95-3019)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -DUTIES ONIMPORTS OFRICE
Request forConsultations byThailand
Thefollowing communication, dated 3October 1995, fromthePermanent Mission ofThailand
tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission, iscirculated attherequest ofthePermanent
Mission ofThailand inaccordance withArticle 4:4oftheDSU.
______________
Upon instructions frommyauthorities, Ihavethehonour toinform youthattheGovernment
oftheKingdom ofThailand would liketorequest consultations withtheCommission oftheEuropean
Communities.
TheGovernment oftheKingdom ofThailand requests consultations withtheCommission of
theEuropean Communities pursuant toArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures
Governing theSettlement ofDisputes (DSU), Article XXIII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs and
Trade1994,andArticle19oftheAgreementonImplementationofArticleVIIoftheGeneralAgreement
onTariffsandTrade1994regardingcertainregulationsoftheEuropeanCommunitiesconcerningimport
duties onrice. These regulations include, butnotlimited to,Council Regulation (ECC) No.1418/76
of21June1976 andCommission Regulation (EC) No.1573/95 of30June1995.
CouncilRegulation(ECC)No.1418/76andCommissionRegulation(EC)No.1573/95provide
forthemethod ofcalculation ofduties tobeimposed onimports ofricewhich areequal tothe
intervention buying-in pricevalidforthose products onimportation, increased byacertain percentage
according towhether itishusked ormilled rice,indica riceorjaponica rice,andminus theimport
price. Inaddition, thesecitedCouncil Regulations givespecial treatment tothebasmati riceoriginating
from India andPakistan.
Accordingly, theGovernment oftheKingdom ofThailand isoftheviewthatCouncil Regulation
(EEC) No.1418/76 andCommission (EC)1573/95 areincontravention oftheprovisions oftheGeneral
AgreementonTariffsandTrade1994andtheAgreementonImplementationofArticleVIIoftheGeneral
Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 towhich theEuropean Union hasobligations toconform, and
thereby nullify andimpair thebenefits ofThailand under these Agreements. Theprovisions ofthese
Agreements ofwhich thecitedCouncil Regulations areincontravention include, butarenotlimited
tothefollowing:
1. TheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Articles I,IIandVII; and
2. TheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs
andTrade 1994, Articles 1through 7andAnnex 1.
./.WT/DS17/1
G/L/27
G/AG/W/10
Page2
TheGovernment oftheKingdom ofThailand requests consultations withtheCommission of
theEuropean Communities ontheabove-mentioned matters withaview toreaching amutually
satisfactory result. TheGovernment oftheKingdom ofThailand looks forward toreceiving the
Commission 'sreplytothisrequest andtofixing amutually convenient venue anddateforconsultations.