Application of the licensing of imports of agricultural products by the member of the World Trade Organization

Abstract

The features of import licensing of goods are formulated in the article. This instrument differs from the licensing of activities in the domestic market and determines its place in the system of non-tariff regulation of foreign trade. States can use licensing as a restrictive measure for the import of agricultural products in order to protect domestic producers and increase the competitiveness of goods on the world market. Agriculture is recognized as one of the important branches not only of the world economy, but also the economy of a particular state. Therefore, the authors of the article address the problem of using licensing with respect to imports of agricultural products in order to support national interests. In particular, the initiation of disputes based on the results of filed applications by WTO member states and the reasonableness of refusal to issue a license for imported agricultural products were analyzed in this article. The authors note the significant conditions for the establishment of import licensing by WTO members in order to prevent violation of the fundamental principles of the WTO. The article assesses the risk of controversial issues on the application of import licensing in the agricultural segment, taking into account the provisions of the relevant WTO agreements. The authors come to conclusions, correlate with the experience of WTO member States in applying import licensing of agricultural products by individual States in order to support national interests. In particular, the article analyzes the practice of initiating a dispute on the results of applications, the validity of refusal to issue a license for imported agricultural products.