PANAMA – MEASURES CONCERNING THE IMPORTATION
OF
CERTAIN PRODUCTS FROM COSTA RICA
COMMUNICATION
FROM THE PANEL
The following
communication, dated 30 September 2024, addressed to the Chairperson
of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), is circulated in accordance with Article
12.9 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU).
_______________
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 Panama
- Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain Products from Costa Rica
(DS599) was established by the DSB on 27 September 2021 and composed on 24
January 2022.
On 13 June 2022, the Panel informed the DSB
that the beginning of the Panel's work had been delayed due to a lack of
Spanish-speaking personnel in the Secretariat available to staff disputes.[1] Accordingly, the Panel did
not expect to issue its final report to the parties prior to the second half of
2023.
On 11 October 2023, the Panel informed the
DSB that, due to the delayed start of the work, the complexity of the dispute
and the large number of claims involved, the Panel expected to issue its final
report to the parties at the end of the third quarter of 2024.[2]
The Panel wishes to inform the DSB that, at
the request of the complaining party, and in the absence of any objection from
the responding party, the issuance of the interim report to the parties was
postponed. Consequently, the Panel now expects to issue the final report to the
parties by mid‑October 2024.
The report will only be available to the
public once it has been circulated to the Members in all three working
languages of the WTO. The date of circulation depends on completion of translation
and the Panel is not in a position to provide an estimated circulation date at
this time.
I would be grateful if you would circulate
this letter to the DSB.
__________