The United States is pressing the World Trade Organization (WTO) for rapid enforcement of findings where the WTO rejected India’s appeal of their ruling in favor of the U.S. challenge to the Domestic Content Requirements (DCR) for manufacturing solar cells and modules. The WTO found that India’s localization rules discriminate against U.S. manufacturers.
A release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative stated that the Obama Administration is strongly committed to enforcing the rights of the United States under trade agreements and will use every tool at their disposal to expedite the case for the benefit of American businesses and workers.
When asked about the development in the U.S., a Ministry of Commerce official told Mercom that a deviation settlement vehicle (DSV) meeting will take place on October 14, 2016, where the WTO ruling will be adopted. After that, the government will have a one-month period to reply. Once that is done, a dialogue will be carried forward and a timeframe for compliance decided. The official also said that in the past, India has provided the U.S. with a longer (15 months) timeframe for trade compliance and is expecting reciprocation from the U.S.
A Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) source has previously told Mercom that the agency had been asked to prepare a case study according to which India will seek a compliance timeframe from the U.S.
Image credit: ObamaWhiteHouse.gov
Raj Prabhu is a recognized thought leader in clean energy markets where his work has influenced policies worldwide. He has a deep understanding of regulatory policy and clean energy markets and his market and opinion pieces are regularly published on both MercomIndia.com and other leading publications globally. Raj is also a regular speaker and presenter on clean energy policy and finance topics at conferences worldwide. Raj attended the KLE College of Science in Bangalore, India for physics and chemistry, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel and Institutional Management from Johnson and Wales University, Rhode Island. More articles from Raj Prabhu.
