Annex D: Interim Provisions for Trade Dispute Settlement

(in accordance with Article 29(9))

Editor's note: modification of Annex D was based on Article 3 of the Amendment to the Trade-Related Provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty. 

(1)

(a) In their relations with one another, Contracting Parties shall make every effort through cooperation and consultations to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution of any dispute about existing measures that might materially affect compliance with the provisions applicable to trade under Article 5 or 29, or about any measures that might nullify or impair any benefit accruing to a Contracting Party directly or indirectly under the provisions applicable to trade under Article 29.

(b) A Contracting Party may make a written request to any other Contracting Party for consultations regarding any existing measure of the other Contracting Party that it considers might affect materially compliance with provisions applicable to trade under Article 5 or 29, or any measure that might nullify or impair any benefit accruing to a Contracting Party directly or indirectly under the provisions applicable to trade under Article 29. A Contracting Party which requests consultations shall to the fullest extent possible indicate the measure complained of and specify the provisions of Article 5 or 29 and of the WTO Agreement that it considers relevant. Requests to consult pursuant to this paragraph shall be notified to the Secretariat, which shall periodically inform the Contracting Parties of pending consultations that have been notified.

(c) A Contracting Party shall treat any confidential or proprietary information identified as such and contained in or received in response to a written request, or received in the course of consultations, in the same manner in which it is treated by the Contracting Party providing the information.

(d) In seeking to resolve matters considered by a Contracting Party to affect compliance with provisions applicable to trade under Article 5 or 29 as between itself and another Contracting Party, or to nullify or impair any benefit accruing to it directly or indirectly under the provisions applicable to trade under Article 29, the Contracting Parties participating in consultations or other dispute settlement shall make every effort to avoid a resolution that adversely affects the trade of any other Contracting Party.

(2)

(a) If, within 60 days from the receipt of the request for consultation referred to in subparagraph (1)(b), the Contracting Parties have not resolved their dispute or agreed to resolve it by conciliation, mediation, arbitration or other method, either Contracting Party may deliver to the Secretariat a written request for the establishment of a panel in accordance with sub-paragraphs (b) to (f). In its request the requesting Contracting Party shall state the substance of the dispute and indicate which provisions of Article 5 or 29 and of the WTO Agreement are considered relevant. The Secretariat shall promptly deliver copies of the request to all Contracting Parties.

(b) The interests of other Contracting Parties shall be taken into account during the resolution of a dispute. Any other Contracting Party having a substantial interest in a matter shall have the right to be heard by the panel and to make written submissions to it, provided that both the disputing Contracting Parties and the Secretariat have received written notice of its interest no later than the date of establishment of the panel, as determined in accordance with subparagraph (c).

(c) A panel shall be deemed to be established 45 days after the receipt of the written request of a Contracting Party by the Secretariat pursuant to subparagraph (a).

(d) A panel shall be composed of three members who shall be chosen by the Secretary General from the roster described in paragraph (7). Except where the disputing Contracting Parties agree otherwise, the members of a panel shall not be citizens of Contracting Parties which either are party to the dispute or have notified their interest in accordance with sub-paragraph (b), or citizens of states members of a Regional Economic Integration Organisation which either is party to the dispute or has notified its interest in accordance with sub-paragraph (b).

(e) The disputing Contracting Parties shall respond within ten working days to the nominations of panel members and shall not oppose nominations except for compelling reasons.

(f) Panel members shall serve in their individual capacities and shall neither seek nor take instruction from any government or other body. Each Contracting Party undertakes to respect these principles and not to seek to influence panel members in the performance of their tasks. Panel members shall be selected with a view to ensuring their independence, and that a sufficient diversity of backgrounds and breadth of experience are reflected in a panel.

(g) The Secretariat shall promptly notify all Contracting Parties that a panel has been constituted.

(3)

(a) The Charter Conference shall adopt rules of procedure for panel proceedings consistent with this Annex. Rules of procedure shall be as close as possible to those of the WTO Agreement. A panel shall also have the right to adopt additional rules of procedure not inconsistent with the rules of procedure adopted by the Charter Conference or with this Annex. In a proceeding before a panel each disputing Contracting Party and any other Contracting Party which has notified its interest in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)(b), shall have the right to at least one hearing before the panel and to provide a written submission. Disputing Contracting Parties shall also have the right to provide a written rebuttal. A panel may grant a request by any other Contracting Party which has notified its interest in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)(b) for access to any written submission made to the panel, with the consent of the Contracting Party which has made it.

The proceedings of a panel shall be confidential. A panel shall make an objective assessment of the matters before it, including the facts of the dispute and the compliance of measures with the provisions applicable to trade under Article 5 or 29. In exercising its functions, a panel shall consult with the disputing Contracting Parties and give them adequate opportunity to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution. Unless otherwise agreed by the disputing Contracting Parties, a panel shall base its decision on the arguments and submissions of the disputing Contracting Parties. Panels shall be guided by the interpretations given to the WTO Agreement within the framework of the WTO Agreement and shall not question the compatibility with Article 5 or 29 of practices applied by any Contracting Party which is a member of the WTO to other members of the WTO to which it applies the WTO Agreement and which have not been taken by those other members to dispute resolution under the WTO Agreement.

Unless otherwise agreed by the disputing Contracting Parties, all procedures involving a panel, including the issuance of its final report, should be completed within 180 days of the date of establishment of the panel; however, a failure to complete all procedures within this period shall not affect the validity of a final report.

(b) A panel shall determine its jurisdiction; such determination shall be final and binding. Any objection by a disputing Contracting Party that a dispute is not within the jurisdiction of the panel shall be considered by the panel, which shall decide whether to deal with the objection as a preliminary question or to join it to the merits of the dispute.

(c) In the event of two or more requests for establishment of a panel in relation to disputes that are substantively similar, the Secretary General may with the consent of all the disputing Contracting Parties appoint a single panel.

(4)

(a) After having considered rebuttal arguments, a panel shall submit to the disputing Contracting Parties the descriptive sections of its draft written report, including a statement of the facts and a summary of the arguments made by the disputing Contracting Parties. The disputing Contracting Parties shall be afforded an opportunity to submit written comments on the descriptive sections within a period set by the panel.

Following the date set for receipt of comments from the Contracting Parties, the panel shall issue to the disputing Contracting Parties an interim written report, including both the descriptive sections and the panel’s proposed findings and conclusions. Within a period set by the panel a disputing Contracting Party may submit to the panel a written request that the panel review specific aspects of the interim report before issuing a final report. Before issuing a final report the panel may, in its discretion, meet with the disputing Contracting Parties to consider the issues raised in such a request.

The final report shall include descriptive sections (including a statement of the facts and a summary of the arguments made by the disputing Contracting Parties), the panel’s findings and conclusions, and a discussion of arguments made on specific aspects of the interim report at the stage of its review. The final report shall deal with every substantial issue raised before the panel and necessary to the resolution of the dispute and shall state the reasons for the panel’s conclusions.

A panel shall issue its final report by providing it promptly to the Secretariat and to the disputing Contracting Parties. The Secretariat shall at the earliest practicable opportunity distribute the final report, together with any written views that a disputing Contracting Party desires to have appended, to all Contracting Parties.

(b) Where a panel concludes that a measure introduced or maintained by a Contracting Party does not comply with a provision of Article 5 or 29 or with a provision of the WTO Agreement that applies under Article 29, the panel may recommend in its final report that the Contracting Party alter or abandon the measure or conduct so as to be in compliance with that provision.

(c) Panel reports shall be adopted by the Charter Conference. In order to provide sufficient time for the Charter Conference to consider panel reports, a report shall not be adopted by the Charter Conference until at least 30 days after it has been provided to all Contracting Parties by the Secretariat. Contracting Parties having objections to a panel report shall give written reasons for their objections to the Secretariat at least 10 days prior to the date on which the report is to be considered for adoption by the Charter Conference, and the Secretariat shall promptly provide them to all Contracting Parties. The disputing Contracting Parties and Contracting Parties which notified their interest in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)(b) shall have the right to participate fully in the consideration of the panel report on that dispute by the Charter Conference, and their views shall be fully recorded.

(d) In order to ensure effective resolution of disputes to the benefit of all Contracting Parties, prompt compliance with rulings and recommendations of a final panel report that has been adopted by the Charter Conference is essential. A Contracting Party which is subject to a ruling or recommendation of a final panel report that has been adopted by the Charter Conference shall inform the Charter Conference of its intentions regarding compliance with such ruling or recommendation. In the event that immediate compliance is impracticable, the Contracting Party concerned shall explain its reasons for non-compliance to the Charter Conference and, in light of this explanation, shall have a reasonable period of time to effect compliance. The aim of dispute resolution is the modification or removal of inconsistent measures.

(5)

(a) Where a Contracting Party has failed within a reasonable period of time to comply with a ruling or recommendation of a final panel report that has been adopted by the Charter Conference, a Contracting Party to the dispute injured by such non-compliance may deliver to the non-complying Contracting Party a written request that the non-complying Contracting Party enter into negotiations with a view to agreeing upon mutually acceptable compensation. If so requested the non-complying Contracting Party shall promptly enter into such negotiations.

(b) If the non-complying Contracting Party refuses to negotiate, or if the Contracting Parties have not reached agreement within 30 days after delivery of the request for negotiations, the injured Contracting Party may make a written request for authorisation of the Charter Conference to suspend obligations owed by it to the non-complying Contracting Party under Article 5 or 29.

(c) The Charter Conference may authorise the injured Contracting Party to suspend such of its obligations to the non-complying Contracting Party, under provisions of Article 5 or 29 or under provisions of the WTO Agreement that apply under Article 29, as the injured Contracting Party considers equivalent in the circumstances.

(d) The suspension of obligations shall be temporary and shall be applied only until such time as the measure found to be inconsistent with Article 5 or 29 has been removed, or until a mutually satisfactory solution is reached.

(6)

(a) Before suspending such obligations the injured Contracting Party shall inform the non-complying Contracting Party of the nature and level of its proposed suspension. If the non-complying Contracting Party delivers to the Secretary General a written objection to the level of suspension of obligations proposed by the injured Contracting Party, the objection shall be referred to arbitration as provided below. The proposed suspension of obligations shall be stayed until the arbitration has been completed and the determination of the arbitral panel has become final and binding in accordance with subparagraph (e).

(b) The Secretary General shall establish an arbitral panel in accordance with sub-paragraphs (2)(d) to (f), which if practicable shall be the same panel which made the ruling or recommendation referred to in sub-paragraph (4)(d), to examine the level of obligations that the injured Contracting Party proposes to suspend. Unless the Charter Conference decides otherwise the rules of procedure for panel proceedings shall be adopted in accordance with sub-paragraph (3)(a).

(c) The arbitral panel shall determine whether the level of obligations proposed to be suspended by the injured Contracting Party is excessive in relation to the injury it experienced, and if so, to what extent. It shall not review the nature of the obligations suspended, except insofar as this is inseparable from the determination of the level of suspended obligations.

(d) The arbitral panel shall deliver its written determination to the injured and the non-complying Contracting Parties and to the Secretariat within 60 days of the establishment of the panel or within such other period as may be agreed by the injured and the non-complying Contracting Parties. The Secretariat shall present the determination to the Charter Conference at the earliest practicable opportunity, and no later than the meeting of the Charter Conference following receipt of the determination.

(e) The determination of the arbitral panel shall become final and binding 30 days after the date of its presentation to the Charter Conference, and any level of suspension of benefits allowed thereby may thereupon be put into effect by the injured Contracting Party in such manner as that Contracting Party considers equivalent in the circumstances, unless prior to the expiration of the 30 days period the Charter Conference decides otherwise.

(f) In suspending any obligations to a non-complying Contracting Party, an injured Contracting Party shall make every effort not to affect adversely the trade of any other Contracting Party.

(7) Each Contracting Party may designate two individuals who shall, in the case of Contracting Parties which are also member of the WTO, if they are willing and able to serve as panellists under this Annex, be persons whose names appear on the indicative list of governmental and non-governmental individuals, referred to in article 8 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes contained in Annex 2 to the WTO Agreement or who have in the past served as panellists on a GATT or WTO dispute settlement panel. The Secretary General may also designate, with the approval of the Charter Conference, not more than ten individuals, who are willing and able to serve as panellists for purposes of dispute resolution in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4). The Charter Conference may in addition decide to designate for the same purposes up to 20 individuals, who serve on dispute settlement rosters of other international bodies, who are willing and able to serve as panellists. The names of all of the individuals so designated shall constitute the dispute settlement roster. Individuals shall be designated strictly on the basis of objectivity, reliability and sound judgement and, to the greatest extent possible, shall have expertise in international trade and energy matters, in particular as relates to provisions applicable under Article 29. In fulfilling any function under this Annex, designees shall not be affiliated with or take instructions from any Contracting Party. Designees shall serve for renewable terms of five years and until their successors have been designated. A designee whose term expires shall continue to fulfil any function for which that individual has been chosen under this Annex. In the case of death, resignation or incapacity of a designee, the Contracting Party or the Secretary General, whichever designated said designee, shall have the right to designate another individual to serve for the remainder of that designee’s term, the designation by the Secretary General being subject to approval of the Charter Conference.

(8) Notwithstanding the provisions contained in this Annex, Contracting Parties are encouraged to consult throughout the dispute resolution proceeding with a view to settling their dispute.

(9) The Charter Conference may appoint or designate other bodies or fora to perform any of the functions delegated in this Annex to the Secretariat and the Secretary General.

(10) Where a Contracting Party invokes Article 29(9)(b), this Annex shall apply, subject to the following modifications:

(a) the complaining party shall present a detailed justification in support of any request for consultations or for the establishment of a panel regarding a measure which it considers to nullify or impair any benefit accruing to it directly or indirectly under Article 29;

(b) where a measure has been found to nullify or impair benefits under Article 29 without violation thereof, there is no obligation to withdraw the measure; however, in such a case the panel shall recommend that the Contracting Party concerned make a mutually satisfactory adjustment;

(c) the arbitral panel provided for in paragraph (6)(b), upon the request of either party, may determine the level of benefits that have been nullified or impaired, and may also suggest ways and means of reaching a mutually satisfactory adjustment; such suggestions shall not be binding upon the parties to the dispute.