GD/12

Belgian Import Restrictions on Dollar Goods

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Other titles

Parties

Complainant
Canada
United States
Respondent
Belgium
Third Parties

Products at Issue

Products at issue
General
Type of product
Not specified
Product sub-type

Related disputes

GATT
WTO

Key legal aspects

Legal basis
  • GATT Article XXIII
Claims raised
  • GATT Article X
  • GATT Article XII:2(a)
  • GATT Article XII:4(a)
Defences raised
  • GATT Article XV:9(b)
  • IMF Agreement XIV

Adjudicators

Type Working Party
Chairperson J.F. Nimmo (Australia)
Other members Representative of Belgium, Representative of Canada, Representative of Cuba, Representative of France, Representative of Germany, Representative of India, Representative of Netherlands, Representative of South Africa, Representative of Sweden, Representative of United Kingdom, Representative of United States

Report

Type Working Party
Legal basis at issue
  • GATT Article XXIII
Claims at issue
Defences at issue
No of Pages (total / legal reasoning)
  • -

Timeline

Request for consultations
Request for establishment
Establishment
Composition
Mutually agreed solution

Outcome

Outcome of the proceedings
Consultations held, mutually agreed solution
Additional Info GATT/CP.6/SR.20 (26/10/1951) Contracting Parties Sixth Session - Summary Record of the Twentieth Meeting (22/10/1951) Chairman: "there seemed to be general agreement that the matter should be examined by a working party, there was a division of opinion on the provisions of the Agreement which would be applicable. The United Kingdom and the United States representatives had proposed that the question should be studied under Article XII:4(a) but the representatives of Belgium and France were of the opinion that the consultations should be initiated under Article XXII. In view of the difficulty of formulating terms of reference for a working party which would be acceptable to all he would suggest that the discussion be adjourned until a later meeting." "[T]he discussion was adjourned."GATT/CP.6/SR.26 (29/10/1951) Contracting Parties Sixth Session - Summary Record of the Twenty-Sixth Meeting (26/10/1951) Chairman: "Bearing in mind that the Belgian representative had stated that the Economic Union [Belgium-Luxemburg Economic Union (B.L.E.U.)] was not altering the fundamentals of its commercial policy, that Belgium intended to abide by the rules of the General Agreement [GATT], and that these dollar restrictions might be removed in the near future, he would recommend that the Contracting Parties do not pursue the matter further at this session, and that the record be allowed to stand as he had summarised it." "The summary by the Chairman and his recommendations were accepted."(Original underlined)

L/31 (30/09/1952) Belgian Restrictions on Imports from the Dollar Area-Résumé of Action between the Sixth and Seventh Sessions (secretariat)

SR.7/11 (31/10/1952) Summary Record of the Eleventh Meeting (29/10/1952) Belgium: "the Working Party established by the Intersessional Committee in February 1952 had decided not to meet until the results of the consultations with the International Monetary Fund [IMF] concerning restrictions imposed by Belgium on dollar goods were known. These consultations had taken place and the statement of the Fund read as follows: (...) relaxation of exchange restrictions is feasible and requests Belgium and Luxembourg to reconsider the necessity for the present level of restrictions affecting dollar imports." Chairman: "noted that Belgium, Canada and the United States had agreed to a settlement of the dispute regarding Belgian dollar import restrictions and that settlement of this problem was received with satisfaction by all contracting parties."