Brussels, 26/07/2024 (Agence Europe) – At a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva on Friday 26 July, South Africa called, for the second time, for the opening of two panels with the EU over citrus fruit imports (see EUROPE 13400/8). The EU has twice refused the request, but the opening of a panel is automatic on the second request from the plaintiff. South Africa claims that its citrus fruit exports to the EU are discriminated against because of European sanitary and phytosanitary measures on these products. Pretoria states that the rules applied by the EU to restrict imports of South African citrus fruit are unfounded and were adopted under pressure from the European citrus fruit industry. At the WTO meeting on Friday 26 July, the EU declared that these sanitary and phytosanitary measures were entirely justified and that it was confident of a successful outcome to these two disputes. (LM)