On May 5, 2014, the WTO Director-General has composed the panel for the case involving Australia’s plain packaging law that bans colorful logos on tobacco as requested by Ukraine, Honduras and Indonesia.

The panel composition will be the same irrespective of the three different disputes pursuant to Article 9.3 of the DSU.  

The Director-General accordingly appointed the Panellists as follows:

·      Chairperson: Mr. Alexander Erwin

·      Members: Mr François Dessemontet and Ms Billie Miller

Mr. Erwin, the Chairperson of the panel, is a former trade unionist and a member of the South African Communist Party. He has previously served as a member of the panel over the Canadian renewable energy dispute.

Mr. Dessemontet is a Swiss law professor and Ms. Miller is a former foreign minister of Barbados.

This dispute is reported as the largest in 20-year history of the WTO, with 32 members participating in the dispute – which includes 20 countries from the EU.