STATE TRADING

QUESTIONS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION REGARDING
THAILAND'S NEW AND FULL NOTIFICATION^[1]

The following communication, dated and received on 21 October 2022, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of the European Union.

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Question 1:

In notification G/STR/N/19/NZL, Thailand stated "nil" for specific exclusive or special rights or privileges enjoyed by the Public Warehouse Organisation.

Could Thailand please provide further information on whether the Public Warehouse Organization has been designated as the sole importer of WTO in-quota palm/palm kernel oil and also for imports under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement? If this the case, could Thailand please provide further explanation of why it considers that there are no exclusive or special rights enjoyed by the STE?

Question 2:

Could Thailand please clarify if the Public Warehouse Organization is tasked with allocating quantities of in-quota imports of certain agricultural products and if so, how this has been carried out during the reporting period?