Alexander Erwin, a former South African trade minister, will head a three-person World Trade Organisation panel to examine complaints filed by five countries against Australia’s plain packaging law for tobacco products, the WTO said.

Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia and Ukraine have challenged various aspects of the 2012 Australian law that establishes uniform packaging for tobacco products. François Dessemontet, a former Swiss professor who has served on approximately 80 international arbitration panels, and Billie Miller, a past deputy prime minister of Barbados, also were named to the panel.
Under WTO dispute settlement rules, the panel has six months to submit a report to the parties, after which it goes to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body for adoption as a ruling. The ruling can be appealed.