Thailand – Customs and Fiscal Measures on Cigarettes from the Philippines

Recourse to Article 21.5 of the DSU by the Philippines

Communication from the chairperson of the Panel

The following communication, dated 15 May 2017, was received from the Chairperson of the Panel with the request that it be circulated to the Dispute Settlement Body.

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Article 21.5 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU) provides that the panel shall circulate its report within 90 days after the date of referral of the matter to it.

Article 21.5 of the DSU further provides that, when a panel considers that it cannot provide its report within this time frame, it shall inform the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in writing of the reasons together with an estimate of the period within which it will submit its report.

On 21 July 2016, the DSB referred the dispute Thailand – Customs and Fiscal Measures on Cigarettes from the Philippines, Recourse to Article 21.5 of the DSU by the Philippines (WT/DS371) to the original panel, if possible. The panel was composed on 16 December 2016.^[1]

The Panel expects to issue its final report to the parties in the first quarter of 2018, based on the timetable adopted after consultation with the parties.