On 12 April the World Trade Organisation (WTO) announced that India had requested consultations with the United States of America (USA) under the dispute settlement system concerning the latter’s countervailing duties on certain steel products from India. As a means of clarification, the request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.
