GD/17

United States Export Subsidy on Sultanas

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Other titles

United States - Sultanas

Parties

Complainant
Greece
Turkey
Respondent
United States
Third Parties
South Africa
Australia

Products at Issue

Products at issue
Sultana raisins
Type of product
Agricultural
Product sub-type
Fruits and dried fruits

Related disputes

GATT
WTO

Key legal aspects

Legal basis
  • GATT Article XXII
Claims raised
  • GATT Article XVI
Defences raised
  • n.a.

Adjudicators

Type Contracting Parties
Chairperson
Other members All CONTRACTING PARTIES

Report

Type Contracting Parties
Legal basis at issue
  • GATT Article XXII
Claims at issue
  • GATT Article XVI
Defences at issue
  • n.a.
No of Pages (total / legal reasoning) 1
  • -
  • No conclusion reached
  • No conclusion reached

Timeline

Request for consultations
Request for establishment
Report

Outcome

Outcome of the proceedings
Report issued, not considered for adoption
Additional Info L/39 (03/10/1952) Note by the Greek Government "only solution …elimination of measures"

L/39/Add.1 (23/10/1952) Statement on calculation of damage.

L/45 (10/10/1952) Note by the Turkish Delegation "would appreciate very much is the US Government would reconsider … their policy"

SR.7/8 (21/10/1952) Summary Record Eighth Meeting. Chair: "since the US was prepared to consult and in view of the provisions on consultation ... Article XXII ... not necessary ... to make a determination of serious injury under Article XVI unless so requested." Australia: "item... of interest too". South Africa: "associated himself with the remarks... also affected by the subsidy."

SR.7/14 (10/11/1952) Summary Record Fourteenth Meeting. Greece: bilateral discussions had been held and should continue after the Session, requesting keeping item on the agenda. Turkey and US confirmed. Australia: recalled its interest in the matter.

L/146 (30/09/1953) Report by the Greek Government: A complaint was lodged by Greece, supported by other delegations, in regard to the regime of subsidies applied by the US Government promoting the domestic production of sultanas and facilitating development of their exportation. The Contracting Parties made a recommendation that the governments enter into bilateral consultation with a view to reaching abolition of the subsidies in question which, moreover, ran counter to the objectives of the General Agreement. Consultations were held, but no definite result was achieved, save a slight reduction of the subsidy fixed for the year 1952-53, which had, however, been dictated by factors of an exclusively domestic nature connected with the US economy and could not be regarded as being related to these consultations.

L/148 (30/09/1953) Report by the Turkish Government: the US Government had not felt they were in a position, in the near future, to relinquish export subsidies on sultanas. This situation had constrained the Turkish Government to take a protective measure which consisted of granting a provisional subsidy on exports of sultanas and was fixed at a reasonable level not exceeding the US subsidy on exports of their own sultanas.

SR.8/12 (15/10/1953) Summary of Twelfth Meeting - Greece: unsatisfactory reduction of subsidies by US, and real injury. Turkey: had to resort to subsidization; Australia: agreed depression of world prices but chain reaction would be regrettable. US: details of the subsidy in GATT/CP/114 (1951); would submit a progress report according to Article XVI procedure.

Note: The reports were not submitted for adoption, but the "Chairman noted that the US would keep the contracting parties informed of developments through its periodical reports under Article XVI."