WTO Strikes Down Ukraine Safeguards on Japanese Cars

Ukraine’s emergency measures to limit imports of certain Japanese passenger cars are largely in violation of global trade rules, a WTO panel said last Friday, while backing Kiev on some procedural points. The panel has also suggested that Ukraine remove the duty, though these findings could be appealed.

The panel report (DS468) circulated last Friday focused on both the measures themselves – known as “safeguards” in trade parlance – as well as the investigation behind them. These safeguards can be imposed when there has been an import surge of a particular good, should this surge cause serious injury – or threaten to do so– to domestic industry.