Brussels, 10/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 April, China notified the WTO Secretariat of a request for consultations with the EU regarding measures adopted by the EU to modify its tariff concessions on certain poultry meat products (DS 492).
China is targeting the agreement concluded in 2012 by the EU with Brazil and Thailand on the allocation of quotas on poultry products. Beijing states that this quota was attributed primarily to Brazil and Thailand - to the detriment of Chinese exporters. The Chinese ministry for trade believes that this division of the quota runs counter to the rules of the WTO.
As the formal starting point in the WTO dispute settlement procedure, the consultations last 60 days. At the end of this period, if no satisfactory solution is found between the parties, the complainant can request that a special panel be set up to rule on the complaint. (Emmanuel Hagry)