India has filed an appeal against WTO panel’s decision on sugar subsidies

India has filed an appeal against WTO panel’s decision on sugar subsidies

The World Trade Organisation stated on Tuesday that India has filed an appeal against a WTO’s trade dispute settlement panel finding on domestic sugar subsidies, claiming that the panel made ‘several errors of law’ in its report. India filed the appeal with the WTO’s Appellate Body, which is the last authority on such trade disputes.

‘India has notified the Dispute Settlement Body of its determination to appeal the panel reports in the proceedings presented by Brazil, Australia, and Guatemala in ‘India – Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane,’ the World Trade Organization said in a statement.

It stated that due to the continuous lack of consensus among WTO members on filling Appellate Body vacancies, there is now no Appellate Body division available to deal with the appeal.

The panel in its verdict on December 14, 2021, suggested that India withdraw its claimed unlawful subsidies under the Buffer Stock, Production Assistance, Marketing, and Transportation Schemes within 120 days of the adoption of this report,

The WTO panel ruled in favor of Brazil, Australia, and Guatemala in their trade dispute with India over New Delhi’s sugar subsidies, stating that the assistance measures are in violation of WTO trade rules.

India has appealed to the Appellate Body, requesting that it ‘reverse, alter, or declare moot and of no legal consequence the Panel’s findings, conclusions, decisions, and recommendations with regard to specific errors of law or legal interpretation included in the panel report.’-PTI