러시아ㆍ유라시아

The following communication, dated 28 September 2018, addressed to the Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), is circulated in accordance with Article 12.9 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) .

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Article 12.8 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU) provides that the period in which a panel shall conduct its examination, from the date that the composition and terms of reference of the panel have been agreed upon until the date the final report is issued to the parties to the dispute, shall, as a general rule, not exceed six months.

Article 12.9 of the DSU provides that, when a panel considers that it cannot issue its report within six months, it shall inform the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in writing accordingly and indicate the reasons, together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its report.

The Panel in Russia – Measures Concerning Traffic in Transit (DS512) was established by the DSB on 21 March 2017 and composed on 6 June 2017.

On 17 November 2017, the Panel communicated to the DSB that it "expect[ed] to issue its final report to the parties by the end of 2018, in accordance with the timetable adopted after consultation with the parties."

The Panel wishes to advise that it now expects to issue its final report to the parties in the first quarter of 2019, in the light of the complexity of the legal and factual issues that have arisen in this dispute.

The report will only be available to the public once it is circulated to the Members in all three official languages of the WTO. The date of circulation depends on completion of translation and the Panel is not in a position to provide an estimated circulation date at this time.

I would be grateful if you would circulate this letter to the DSB.