煙草在線據《悉尼早間先驅報》報道編譯　　在烏克蘭這個歐洲國家在日內瓦的世界貿易組織對澳大利亞卷煙平裝法規展開的第一輪攻擊中，澳大利亞對烏克蘭采取了強硬措施。

　　9月1日，烏克蘭請求世界貿易組織建立一個小組，為“關于適用于煙草產品的商標和其他平裝要求措施”的爭議舉行聽證。

　　烏克蘭與澳大利亞幾乎沒有卷煙貿易，但它是聘用著1400名工人的菲莫國際公司一家子公司的所在地。企業不能以自己的名義向世界貿易組織提出上訴。

　　烏克蘭的聲明說，澳大利亞要求所有卷煙都必須以平裝出售的法律，“與其說是為達到規定的健康目標而必須的，不如說是一種貿易限制，造成了對貿易不必要的障礙。”

　　澳大利亞沒有同意像不太嚴重的爭議中的習慣做法那樣，建立一個爭端解決小組，相反，它拒絕了這個請求，稱它的平裝法律是一個“旨在達到一個合法目標——保護公眾健康的合理、且經過深思熟慮的措施”。

　　澳大利亞拒絕建立小組的請求是一種象征性的措施，而不是實際的措施。烏克蘭將必須在世界貿易組織于下一次在9月28日舉行的會議上第二次請求設立聽證小組。澳大利亞將無法第二次拒絕這個請求。

　　這項爭端將需要幾個月的時間進行聽證，在這段時間里，澳大利亞可以繼續要求從12月1日開始實行卷煙平裝。

　　如果聽證小組的裁決不利于澳大利亞，而澳大利亞仍繼續實施這項法律，世界貿易組織將有權實施貿易制裁。澳大利亞正避開在英美煙草公司的澳洲控股公司總部的遷入地——香港提起的第二宗訴訟。

Australia Challenges Ukraine on Tobacco

　　AUSTRALIA has taken a hard line with Ukraine in the first round of the European country's assault on Australia's plain cigarette packaging rules at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.

　　On Saturday, Ukraine asked the WTO set up a panel to hear a dispute on "measures concerning trademarks and other plain packaging requirements applicable to the tobacco products".

　　Ukraine has next to no cigarette trade with Australia but it is the site of a Philip Morris International subsidiary that employs 1400 workers. Corporations cannot make an appeal to the WTO in their own name.

　　Ukraine's statement says Australia's law requiring that all cigarettes must be sold in plain packets is "more trade restrictive than necessary to achieve the stated health objectives and constitutes an unnecessary obstacle to trade".

　　Rather than agreeing to the establishment of a disputes resolution panel, as is customary in less serious disputes, Australia rejected the request, arguing the law was "a sound, well-considered measure designated to achieve a legitimate objective, the protection of public health".

　　Australia's rejection of the request for a panel is a symbolic, rather than a practical, measure. Ukraine will have to ask for a second time at the next WTO meeting on September 28. Australia would be unable to reject a second request.

　　The dispute would take some months to hear, during which time Australia could continue to require plain cigarette packets from December 1.

　　If the panel finds against Australia, the WTO will have the right to impose trade sanctions, should Australia continue to enforce the law. Australia is fending off a second challenge in Hong Kong, where British American Tobacco has relocated its Australian holding company's headquarters. Enditem