"To examine, in the light of the relevant provisions of the covered agreements cited by Brazil in document WT/DS69/2, the matter referred to the DSB by Brazil in that document and to make such findings as will assist the DSB in making the recommendations or in giving the rulings provided for in those agreements."
(a) that the EC had failed to implement and administer the compensation TRQ in certain poultry meat products in line with the bilateral agreement reached with Brazil within the context of Article XXVIII:4 of GATT;
(b) that the provisions of Articles I and XIII of GATT did not necessarily apply to compensation TRQs;
(c) in the alternative, that the EC had failed to implement the TRQ in accordance with Article XIII, since the EC did not follow the allocation procedures contained in Article XIII;
(d) that the EC had failed to comply with the provisions of Articles 1 and 3 of the Agreement on Import Licensing in the administration of the import licences;
(e) that the licensing system did not comply with the transparency provisions of Article X and the specific provisions of Articles II and III of GATT;
(f) that the licensing system did not comply with the specific provisions of Articles II and III of GATT;
(g) that the EC had failed to comply with the provisions of Articles 4 and 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture in the implementation of the special safeguards that apply for trade in poultry meat outside the TRQ.
(a) that there had been no breach by the EC of Articles XXVIII, XIII, X, II and III ofGATT, Articles 4 and 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture and Articles 1 and 3 of theAgreement on Import Licensing Procedures; and
(b) that, consequently, there had been no nullification or impairment of Brazil's rightsunder the WTO.
- "the agreement on oilseeds negotiated under Article XXVIII has been incorporated
- tariff quotas, including in-quota tariff rates, agreed in bilateral negotiations have been incorporated."
Finally, the table "Agricultural Negotiations: List of Commitments - Market access: EC - Lists Relating to Minimum Access" provided for a zero per cent TRQ for tariff items 0207 41 10, 0207 41 41 and 0207 41 71 up to 15,500 tonnes. The letter was distributed to all GATT CONTRACTING PARTIES. In the meantime, the revised Schedule was applied by the EC as from 1 January 1994. Within the three-month period set out in the Decision of the CONTRACTING PARTIES of 26 March 1980, no GATT CONTRACTING PARTY objected to the revised Schedule. On the contrary, they had all agreed by 30 March 1994 to a new EC Schedule of commitments, as a result of the Uruguay Round, which included the Article XXVIII Oilseeds Agreement results with respect to the frozen poultry meat.
"We note that since the GATT CONTRACTING PARTIES incorporated a reference to the Lomé Convention into the Lomé waiver, the meaning of the Lomé Convention became a GATT/WTO issue, at least to that extent. Thus, we have no alternative but to examine the provisions of the Lomé Convention ourselves in so far as it is necessary to interpret the Lomé waiver."109
"In principle a claim based on a bilateral agreement cannot be brought under the multilateral dispute settlement procedures of the GATT. An exception is warranted in this case given the close connection of this particular bilateral agreement with the GATT, the fact that the Agreement is consistent with the objectives of the GATT, and that both parties joined in requesting recourse to the GATT Arbitration procedures."110
"A treaty shall be considered as terminated if all the parties to it conclude a later treaty relating to the same subject-matter and:
(a) it appears from the later treaty or is otherwise established that the parties intended that the matter should be governed by that treaty; or
(b) the provisions of the later treaty are so far incompatible with those of the earlier onethat the two treaties are not capable of being applied at the same time."
Article 30(3) of the Vienna Convention further reads as follows:
"When all the parties to the earlier treaty are parties also to the later treaty but the earlier treaty is not terminated or suspended in operation under Article 59, the earlier treaty applies only to the extent that its provisions are compatible with those of the later treaty."
"In these circumstances, the partners of the Community in the successive renegotiations under Article XXIV:6 could legitimately assume, in the absence of any indications to the contrary, that the offer to continue a tariff commitment by the Community was an offer not to change the balance of concessions previously attained. The Panel noted that nothing in the material submitted to it indicated that the Community had made it clear to its negotiating partners that the withdrawal and reinstitution of the tariff concessions for oilseeds as part of the withdrawal of the whole of the Community Schedule meant that the Community was seeking a new balance of concessions with respect to these items. There is in particular no evidence that the Community, in the context of these negotiations, offered to compensate its negotiating partners for any impairment of the tariff concessions through production subsidies or that it accepted compensatory tariff withdrawals by its negotiating partners to take into account any such impairment. The balance of concessions negotiated in 1962 in respect of oilseeds was thus not altered in the successive Article XXIV:6 negotiations. The Panel therefore found that the benefits accruing to the United States under the oilseed tariff concessions resulting from the Article XXIV:6 negotiations of 1986/87 include the protection of reasonable expectations the United States had when these concessions were initially negotiated in 1962."117
The Oilseeds panel did not rule that by application of the lex posterior rule, the Community was bound only by the newest of tariff schedules, being released from all the previous commitments. On the contrary, the panel found that the balance of concessions negotiated in 1962 in respect of oilseeds was not altered in the successive tariff negotiations.
"Duty exemption shall be applicable for cuts falling within subheadings 0207.41.10, 0207.41.41 and 0207.41.71 within the limits of a global annual tariff quota of 15,500 tonnes to be granted by the competent Community authorities".118
The substance of this agreement is incorporated into the relevant part of Schedule LXXX (Part I, Most-favoured-nation Tariff; Section I, Agricultural Products; Section I - B, Tariff Quotas; Minimum Access Quotas) corresponding to the same tariff item numbers. Therefore, the analysis of the Oilseeds Agreement is equally relevant in the interpretation of Schedule LXXX.
"A treaty shall be interpreted in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in the light of its object and purpose."
Accordingly, we follow these rules in the analysis of the Oilseeds Agreement.
"In such negotiations and agreement, which may include provision for compensatory adjustment with respect to other products, Members concerned shall endeavour to maintain a general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions not less favourable to trade than that provided for in this Agreement prior to such negotiations."
Brazil argues that the MFN principle under Articles I and XIII of GATT does not necessarily apply to TRQs opened as a result of the compensation negotiations under Article XXVIII of GATT.121 According to Brazil, since the purpose of the Oilseeds Agreement was to compensate Brazil for the modification of EC concessions on oilseeds, Brazil is entitled to an exclusive benefit in the modified tariff schedule. The EC responds that the nature of compensation cannot change the legal reality under the GATT/WTO agreements: i.e. the EC was bound, on an MFN basis, by its tariff commitments.122
"The Panel took note of the agreement reached between the delegations concerned on the basis of the offer which, in the opinion of both parties, represents a first step toward the fulfilment of the promise contained in the letter of 31 March 1951, and noted also the assurance given by the German delegation that the global custom quotas envisaged for potato starch would be administered in accordance with the provisions of Article XIII of the General Agreement."126
Although not technically a result of Article XXVIII negotiations, the TRQ opened by Germany in this case could be characterized as a form of compensation for not fulfilling its tariff commitments in the previous round. In the application of the TRQ, Germany followed the MFN principle contained in Article XIII and the panel (and the CONTRACTING PARTIES) accepted it as a positive move toward the solution of the dispute. Thus, we find that Brazil's argument is not supported either by the text of the WTO Agreement or past GATT practices.
"It was agreed that there was no intention to interfere in any way with the operation of the most-favoured-nation clause. This Article is headed 'Modification of Schedules'. It refers throughout to concessions negotiated under paragraph 1 of Article II, the Schedules, and there is no reference in the Article to Article I, which is the Most-Favoured-Nation clause. Therefore, I think the intent is clear: that in no way should this Article interfere with the operation of the Most-Favoured-Nation clause."129
"In applying import restrictions to any product, Members shall aim at a distribution of trade in such product approaching as closely as possible the shares which the various Members might be expected to obtain in the absence of such restrictions and to this end shall observe the following provisions:... ; (d) In cases in which a quota is allocated among supplying countries the Member applying the restrictions may seek agreement with respect to the allocation of shares in the quota with all other contracting parties having a substantial interest in supplying the product concerned. In cases in which this method is not reasonably practicable, the Member concerned shall allot to Members having a substantial interest in supplying the product shares based upon the proportions, supplied by such Members during a previous representative period, of the total quantity or value of imports of the product, due account being taken of any special factors which may have affected or may be affecting the trade in the product. No conditions or formalities shall be imposed which would prevent any Member from utilizing fully the share of any such total quantity or value which has been allotted to it, subject to importation being made within any prescribed period to which the quota may relate."
"The provisions of this Article shall apply to any tariff quota instituted or maintained by any Member, and, in so far as applicable, the principles of this Article shall also extend to export restrictions."
These points were affirmed by the Appellate Body in the Banana III case132, and are not contested by the parties. However, the parties have divergent views on the application of Article XIII to the actual operation of the TRQ in this particular case.
"I have just received information that the Council is supposedly about to decide on the allocation of the 15,500 tonnes of chicken and 2,500 tonnes of turkey resulting from the oilseeds compensation agreement. The proposal to be submitted would divide the tonnage equally into three groups (a: Brazil; b: Thailand; c: China, USA and the remaining countries), each receiving one third of the contingent.... [T]his distribution, in my opinion, definitely is not compatible with the spirit of the oilseeds compensations agreement signed with Brazil. I would, therefore, appreciate your looking into this matter with the utmost urgency."
Another letter of 20 May 1994 from the Ambassador to another EC official reads in part as follows (emphasis added):
"We have been informally advised that it would be the intention of the Commission to propose the division of that amount [15,500 tonnes for poultry meat and 2,500 tonnes for turkey meat] allocating only 45 per cent of the poultry meat quota and 71 per cent of the turkey meat quota to Brazil. It is the view of the Brazilian Government that such quota allocation would be a breach of the intent and spirit of the agreement, since it would not ensure that Brazil is duly compensated for the losses it suffered...."
Finally, on 15 April 1997, the Ambassador wrote to the Vice-President of the European Commission, stating (emphasis added):
"... [W]e have never willingly concurred with the terms dictated by the Commission in 1994 for the distribution and management of said quotas.... The first two letters [cited above] clearly state that, in our view, their proposed distribution would be in breach of the intent and spirit of the agreement reached in Geneva to compensate Brazil for the losses incurred as a result of the changes in the EU oilseeds regime."
"It is in the nature of a duty-free tariff quota to allow specified quantities of imports into a country duty-free which would otherwise be dutiable, which is not the case for EFTA imports by virtue of the free-trade agreements. Imports which are already duty-free, due to a preferential agreement, cannot by their very nature participate in an m.f.n. duty-free quota. The situation in this respect could only change if the free-trade agreements with the EFTA countries were to be discontinued; in this case these countries would be entitled to fall back on their GATT rights vis-à-vis the EC, which rights continue to exist."144
"The rules and all information concerning procedures for the submission of applications, including the eligibility of persons, firms and institutions to make such applications, the administrative body(ies) to be approached, and the lists of products subject to the licensing requirement shall be published, in the sources notified to the Committee on Import Licensing provided for in Article 4 (referred to in this Agreement as "the Committee"), in such a manner as to enable governments150 and traders to become acquainted with them. Such publication shall take place, whenever practicable, 21 days prior to the effective date of the requirement but in all events not later than such effective date. Any exception, derogations or changes in or from the rules concerning licensing procedures or the list of products subject to import licensing shall also be published in the same manner and within the same time periods as specified above. Copies of these publications shall also be made available to the Secretariat."
"Members shall ensure that the administrative procedures used to implement import licensing regimes are in conformity with the relevant provisions of GATT 1994 including its annexes and protocols, as interpreted by this Agreement, with a view to preventing trade distortions that may arise from an inappropriate operation of those procedures, taking into account the economic development purposes and financial and trade needs of developing country Members."
Article 3.2 of the Licensing Agreement further provides:
"Non-automatic licensing shall not have trade-restrictive or -distortive effects on imports additional to those caused by the imposition of the restriction. Non-automatic licensing procedures shall correspond in scope and duration to the measure they are used to implement, and shall be no more administratively burdensome than absolutely necessary to administer the measure."
"The rules for import licensing procedures shall be neutral in application and administered in a fair and equitable manner."
Article 3.5(j) in relevant part provides:
"in allocating licences, the Member should consider the import performance of the applicant...."
"By its very terms, Article 1.3 of the Licensing Agreement clearly applies to the application and administration of import licensing procedures, and requires that this application and administration be 'neutral... fair and equitable'. Article 1.3 of the Licensing Agreement does not require the import licensing rules, as such, to be neutral, fair and equitable. Furthermore, the context of Article 1.3 - including the preamble, Article 1.1 and, in particular, Article 1.2 of the Licensing Agreement - supports the conclusion that Article 1.3 does not apply to import licensing rules."157
In our view, the issue of licence entitlement based on export performance is clearly that of rules, not that of application or administration of import licensing procedures. Thus, Article 1.3 is not applicable on this specific issue.
"when administering quotas, Members shall not prevent importation from being effected in accordance with the issued licences, and shall not discourage the full utilization of quotas...."
Article 3.5(j) in relevant part provides:
"... consideration should be given as to whether licences issued to applicants in the past have been fully utilized during a recent representative period. In cases where licences have not been fully utilized, the Member shall examine the reasons for this and take these reasons into consideration when allocating new licences...."
"when issuing licences, Members shall take into account the desirability of issuing licences for products in economic quantities...."
Article 3.5(j) further provides in relevant part:
"in allocating licences, the Member should consider the import performance of the applicant... Consideration shall also be given to ensuring a reasonable distribution of licences to new importers, taking into account the desirability of issuing licences for products in economic quantities. In this regard, special consideration should be given to those importers importing products originating in developing country Members and, in particular, the least-developed country Members...."
"Members shall provide, upon request of any Member having an interest in trade in the product concerned, all relevant information concerning:... (iii) the distribution of such licences among supplying countries; (iv) where practicable, import statistics (i.e. value and/or volume) with respect to the products subject to import licensing. Developing country Members would not be expected to take additional administrative or financial burdens on this account;...."
We note that Article 3.5(a) addresses specific situations in the operation of an import licensing scheme, subject to requests from Members. It is clear that Article 3.5(a) does not obligate Members to provide voluntarily complete and relevant information on the distribution of licences among supplying countries and statistics on volumes and values. Brazil has not demonstrated that there has been a case where the EC has failed to provide the required information despite a request by Brazil. Thus, we do not find that the EC has acted inconsistently with Article 3.5(a) of the Licensing Agreement in this regard.
"The mere fact that the restraint at issue was an administrative order does not prevent us from concluding that the restraint was a measure of general application. Nor does the fact that it was a country-specific measure exclude the possibility of it being a measure of general application. If, for instance, the restraint was addressed to a specific company or applied to a specific shipment, it would not have qualified as a measure of general application. However, to the extent that the restraint affects an unidentified number of economic operators, including domestic and foreign producers, we find it to be a measure of general application."172
Conversely, licences issued to a specific company or applied to a specific shipment cannot be considered to be a measure "of general application". In the present case, the information which Brazil claims the EC should have made available concerns a specific shipment, which is outside the scope of Article X of GATT.
"The products described in Part I of the Schedule relating to any Member, which are the products of territories of other Members, shall, on their importation into the territory to which the Schedule relates, and subject to the terms, conditions or qualifications set forth in that Schedule, be exempt from ordinary customs duties in excess of those set forth and provided therein. Such products shall also be exempt from all other duties or charges of any kind imposed on or in connection with the importation in excess of those imposed on the date of this Agreement or those directly and mandatorily required to be imposed thereafter by legislation in force in the importing territory on that date."
The EC rejects this claim by asserting that there is no legislation or any legislative requirement in the EC that imposes extra charges on top of the ordinary duties and other duties and charges which are bound in its tariff schedule and that the alleged payment is not a governmental measure. On the contrary, the relevant EC regulation explicitly prohibits transfer of licences.175
"It was considered, moreover, that the intention of the drafters of the Agreement was clearly to treat the imported products in the same way as the like domestic products once they had been cleared through customs."178
"Members shall not maintain, resort to, or revert to any measures of the kind which have been required to be converted into ordinary customs duties179, except as otherwise provided for in Article 5 and Annex 5."
Article 5.1 in relevant part provides as follows:
"Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1(b) of Article II of GATT 1994, any Member may take recourse to the provisions of paragraphs 4 and 5 below in connection with the importation of an agricultural product, in respect of which measures referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 4 of this Agreement have been converted into an ordinary customs duty and which is designated in its Schedule with the symbol "SSG" as being the subject of a concession in respect of which the provisions of this Article may be invoked, if:... (b) the price at which imports may enter the customs territory of the Member granting the concession, as determined on the basis of the c.i.f. import price of the shipment concerned expressed in terms of its domestic currency, falls below a trigger price equal to the average 1986 to 1988 reference price180 for the product concerned.
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