Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 10 • Number 3 • 1st February 2006
WTO Biotech Panel Report Delayed Yet Again
A WTO dispute panel has once again postponed the release of its preliminary report on the case brought by the US, Canada and Argentina against what they allege was an EU moratorium on the approval of new biotech products. On 30 January, panel Chair Christian Haeberli told the countries involved that the 1 February delivery date would not be met. Instead, trade sources suggest that the interim report, which will only be distributed to the parties to the dispute, will be released on 7 February. The final ruling in the case had originally been scheduled for March 2005, but has been postponed several times.
The report is believed likely to contain several hundred pages of analysis, possibly amounting to the longest such document in WTO history (see BRIDGES Weekly, 18 January 2006).
The US, Canada and Argentina brought the complaint to the WTO in May 2003, accusing the EU of maintaining a ‘de facto’ moratorium on approvals of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that, along with a number of sub-regional bans, was incompliant with WTO law. Although the EU has, since 2004, approved seven biotech crops for food, feed or processing use, a US official told reporters on 26 January that "we don’t agree that the moratorium has ended." However, an EU official has noted that the results of the challenge are unlikely to change legislation or the approval process in the trade bloc and reaffirmed that they would "continue to deal [with applications] on a case-by-case basis on their own merits."
ICTSD reporting; "EU prepares for bruising WTO ruling in biotech case," REUTERS, 18 January 2006; "WTO Report in GMO Case Against EU Expected Feb. 1 Will Be Longest Ever," WTO REPORTER, 27 January 2006; "WTO Ruling on U.S. vs. EU GMO Foods Dispute Due Out February 1," AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, 27 January 2006; "WTO delays ruling in GMO dispute until next week," REUTERS, 30 January 2006.