WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SG/N/6/POL/1
9 January 2001
(01-0073)
Committee on Safeguards Original:  English
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OF THE
AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS ON INITIATION OF
AN INVESTIGATION AND THE REASONS FOR IT
POLAND
The following communication, dated 5 January 2001, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Poland.
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Pursuant to Article 12.1(a) of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, Poland hereby notifies that
the Polish Minister of Economy decided to initiate a safeguard investigation concerning imports into
Polish customs territory of nitrates of potassium.
1. Date of initiation of the investigation
22 December 2000 (date of publication in the Official Journal).
2. Product subject to investigation
Nitrates of potassium, classified under code 2834 21 00 0 in the Polish harmonized tariff.
3. Reasons for initiating the investigation
(i) the investigation was initiated upon the application of the domestic industry which
contained prima facie evidence of the injury caused to the domestic industry by the
increasing imports of the product in question.
(ii) preliminary data concerning the investigation period (1997-June 2000) show among
others:
- high dynamics of imports and its increasing share in the domestic consumption
(see data below),
- price undercutting by imported goods in relation to the domestic ones (average
about 15 per cent including duties),
- rapid fall of domestic production and sales and their decreasing shares in the
domestic consumption (see data below),
- worsening economic and financial standing of the domestic industry, including:G/SG/N/6/POL/1
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• decrease in use of production capacity - fall from 95 per cent in 1997 to
43 per cent in 1999
• decrease in employment - 50 per cent in the investigation period,
• increase in stocks - 300 per cent in the investigation period.
4. The initiation of the investigation was published in the Official Journal - Monitor Polski
No. 42, item 821 of 22 December 2000, which also indicated that:
(i) interested parties should declare their participation in the investigation within the
period of 30 days after its initiation;
(ii) interested parties should submit any background information or opinions concerning
the investigation within the period of 60 days after its initiation.
5. Any additional information concerning the investigation may be obtained in the Department
of Trade Defensive Measures of the Ministry of Economy (00-489 Warsaw, Zurawia 4a;  phone +
4822 693 51 81, fax + 4822 628 2141, e-mail:  robry@ng.gov.pl).G/SG/N/6/POL/1
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ANNEX
Date concerning imports and domestic production of the nitrates of potassium
in the period of 1997-June 2000
1997 1998 1999 Jan-June
1999Jan-June
2000
Import total (tonnes) 822 1,826 2,638 1,076 2,906
Domestic production (tonnes) 7,623 5,576 3,453 1,637 1,912
Domestic sales of the domesticindustry (tonnes)3,749 3,605 1,703 1,223 1,858
Export sales of the domestic
industry (tonnes)3,808 1,899 1,187 707 671
Domestic consumption (tonnes) 4,571 5,431 4,341 2,299 4,764
Share of imports in the domestic
consumption (%)17.98 33.62 60.77 46.80 61.00
Share of domestic sales in the
domestic consumption (%)82.02 66.38 39.23 53.20 39.00
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