United States – Safeguard Measure on Imports of
Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products

Communication from the Panel

The following communication, dated 24 April 2020, was received from the Chairman of the Panel with the request that it be circulated to the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).

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Article 12.8 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU) provides that the period in which a panel shall conduct its examination, from the date that the composition and terms of reference of the panel have been agreed upon until the date the final report is issued to the parties to the dispute, shall, as a general rule, not exceed six months.

Article 12.9 of the DSU provides that, when a panel considers that it cannot issue its report within six months, it shall inform the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in writing accordingly and indicate the reasons, together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its report.

The Panel in United States – Safeguard Measure on Imports of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products (DS562) was established by the DSB on 15 August 2019 and composed on 24 October 2019. 

The beginning of the Panel's work was delayed as a result of the lack of available experienced lawyers in the Secretariat. Due to this and the delays caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Panel does not expect to issue its final report to the parties before the end of 2020.

I would be grateful if you would circulate this letter to the DSB.