The World Trade Organization (WTO) published on Thursday Ukraine’s request for dispute settlement proceedings after Poland, Hungary and the Slovak Republic banned imports of a number of Ukrainian agricultural products, Bloomberg reported.
“Ukraine’s request for consultations is the first formal step in the long dispute settlement process at the WTO and could develop into the first case in the organization, with Ukraine as a plaintiff against EU members,” the agency wrote and recalled that Ukraine is simultaneously working to join the 27-nation bloc.
According to a copy of the complaints published on the WTO website, Ukraine claims the bans violate various provisions of the WTO agreement on agriculture and the general agreement on tariffs and trade.
The three countries have 60 days to begin consultations with Ukraine. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, Kiev could request a WTO panel.
It could take several years before the case goes through the WTO dispute settlement system. Even if Ukraine wins the dispute, the other three countries could theoretically veto the outcome by appealing the ruling to the WTO’s appellate body.
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news23_e/ds619_620_621rfc_21sep23_e.htm
