Members adopt report on Ukraine’s import surcharge imposed for balance-of-payments reasons
WTO members adopted the report on Ukraine’s import surcharge imposed for balance-of-payments reasons, in a meeting of the Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions on 19 June 2015. Reflecting the views expressed during the consultations since consensus among WTO members could not be reached, the report will be submitted to the WTO General Council for consideration in July.
On 28 April and 11 June, WTO members conducted consultations with Ukraine over its surcharge of 5 per cent on imports of industrial goods and 10 per cent on imports of agricultural goods. The measure, adopted on 25 February, was imposed to deal with “exceptional conditions” affecting Ukraine’s balance of payments.
Although most members considered Ukraine’s measure to be in line with WTO rules - Article XII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and the Understanding on Balance-of-Payments Provisions — one delegation was not in agreement.
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The report will be presented to all 161 members in the WTO General Council scheduled for the end of July.