Turkey Starts WTO Arbitration With EU Over Pharmaceuticals Spat

Turkey started arbitration proceedings with the EU over Turkey's measures on the production, import and marketing of pharmaceutical products, the World Trade Organization said April 28. The proceedings were established under the Dispute Settlement Understanding to review the findings of a WTO dispute panel on the Turkish measures. The report found that Turkey has set up a system to prioritize domestic pharmaceutical products over like imported products in its review of applications for market authorization, which the panel concluded is "inconsistent with" the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The WTO said Turkey and the EU agreed on procedures for arbitration to "decide any appeal from any final report."