WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/DS231/8
13 March 2002
(02-1282)
Original:  English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – TRADE DESCRIPTION OF SARDINES
Communication from the Chairman of the Panel
The following communication, dated 11 March 2002, addressed to 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 DSU stipulates that the period in which the 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 pa rties to the dispute, shall, as a general rule, not
exceed six months.
Article 12.9 of the DSU states that when the panel considers that it cannot issue its report
within six months, it shall inform the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in writing of the reasons for the
delay together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its report.
The Panel on "European Communities – Trade Description of Sardines" was established at
the request of Peru by the DSB on 24 July 2001.  On 11 September 2001, the Director-Generaldetermined the composition of the Panel at the request of Peru.  I wish to inform you that, due to the
complexity of the matter before it and scheduling constraints, the Panel will not be able to issue its
report within six months.
The Panel expects to complete its work by end of April 2002.
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