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TRADE DISPUTE RESOLUTION: WHAT ARE THE MECHANISMS?. Mary E. Burfisher, ERS/USDA Terry Norman, Ag. & Agrifood Canada Renee Schwartz, FAS/USDA. WHY ARE TRADE DISPUTE MECHAMISMS IMPORTANT?. Create orderly, rules-based system that facilitates trade Protect the interests of all parties
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TRADE DISPUTE RESOLUTION: WHAT ARE THE MECHANISMS? Mary E. Burfisher, ERS/USDA Terry Norman, Ag. & Agrifood Canada Renee Schwartz, FAS/USDA
WHY ARE TRADE DISPUTE MECHAMISMS IMPORTANT? • Create orderly, rules-based system that facilitates trade • Protect the interests of all parties • Prevent disputes from occurring or escalating
DISPUTE RESOLUTION MECHANISMS • FORMAL:Legalistic, strictly specified rules of procedure and timetables; consultations, panel, win/lose outcomes • INFORMAL:Ad hoc processes defined by participants, consensus outcomes
FORMAL MECHANISMS • NAFTA Chapter 19 on AD, CVD • NAFTA Chapter 20 on interpretation of agreement • National AD or CVD actions • WTO dispute settlement process
Chapter 19 and 20 process • Consultations (ch. 19) or meeting of Commission (ch. 20) provide a venue for mediating a resolution • Arbitral panels are formed when consultation fails, legalistic process with a win/lose outcome • Appeal process: Decisions can be appealed (ch.19) or reconsidered (ch. 20)
Ch. 19 Actions • Panel reviewsMexican AD on US HFCSUS refined sugar exports to CanadaUS AD on Canadian swine exports Mexican fresh cut flower exports to US
Disputes Settled under Ch. 20 • Two disputes:Canadian TRQ’s on poultry, dairy, barley and margarineU.S. safeguards on broom corn brooms from Mexico
NATIONAL AD OR CVD ACTIONS • NAFTA members have independent processes, but must abide by Chapter 19 disciplines • AD are imposed when imports sold at less than fair market value and domestic injury occurs • CVD are imposed to offset foreign subsidies if domestic injury occurs
WTO Panel Process • NAFTA members can pursue matters covered by both NAFTA and WTO, but can only use one venue at a time • Consultations provide opportunity to mediate a resolution • Panel is formed if consultations fail • Outome is win/lose, and may be appealed
WTO panels • Canadian fluid milk TRQ and certain milk pricing practices • Mexican HFCS duties
INFORMAL VENUES • Government to government negotiations • Industry to industry negotiations • Technical consultation/assistance
Governmental • Standing committees Committee on Agricultural Trade Nafta SPS Committee • U.S.-Canada ROU Understanding • U.S.-Mexico tomato agreement
PRIVATE INDUSTRY NEGOTIATIONS • Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes regarding Agricultural Goods : Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corp. • Northwest Cattle Project • US-Mexican grape industry agreement on labeling
Technical Consultation, Assistance • U.S.-Mexico Emerging Markets Project • NAFTA SPS Committee
CONCLUSIONS • Evolving mechanisms for trade dispute resolution help to prevent disputes from occurring or escalating • Voluntarism is foundation of both formal and informal mechanisms • Trade dispute resolution mechanisms cannot deal effectively with differences that were unresolved when negotiating the pact