RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/W/15
12July1995
ORGANIZATION(95-1945)
Original: English Committee onSafeguards
QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE NOTIFICATION
PROVIDED BYCOSTA RICA OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS
UNDER ARTICLE 12.6OFTHE AGREEMENT
Thefollowingcommunication,dated4July1995,hasbeenreceivedfromthePermanentMission
ofJapan.
_______________
I Investigation
1. Inwhatwaywillthepublicnoticetoallinterestedpartiesbeprovidedwithregardtotheinitiation
ofinvestigation?
2. Inwhatwaywillthemeans beensured forimporters, exporters andother interested parties
topresent evidence andtheirviews inaccordance withparagraph 1ofArticle 3oftheAgreement on
Safeguards? Willpublic hearings beheld?
II. Application orextension ofsafeguard measures
3. According toArticle 51(c) oftheCentral American Regulations onUnfair Business Practices
andSafeguard Clause (hereinafter referred toas"theRegulations"), themaximum duration ofthe
safeguard measures eachmember country oftheGeneral Treaty ofCentral American Economic
Integration mayapply bytheirowndecision is30days. Suchduration could beextended ifsodecided
bytheCentral American Tariff Customs Council (hereinafter referred toas"theCouncil") which is
convened after theintroduction ofthesafeguard measure inaccordance with Article 54ofthe
Regulations.
4. Ontheother hand, paragraph 2ofArticle 12oftheAgreement onSafeguards requires WTO
Members to,upon proposing toapply orextend asafeguard measure, provide theCommittee on
Safeguards withallpertinent information including theexpected duration ofthesafeguard measure
inmaking thenotification.
Given thefactmentioned above:
(i) Ourunderstanding isthat,whenever Costa Ricaapplies asafeguard measure, the
expected period orinitial period mentioned inparagraph 1ofArticle 7oftheAgreement
onSafeguards isnotlonger than30days. Isitcorrect?
(ii) Howwillinvestigationswhicharerequiredbyparagraph2ofArticle7oftheAgreement
onSafeguards beconducted inthecaseofextension ofthesafeguard measure onthe
basisofthedecision bytheCouncil inaccordance withArticle 51(c)oftheRegulations?
./.G/SG/W/15
Page2
III. Definition of"domestic industry"
5. Could "25% ofdomestic production" inArticle 44oftheRegulations beregarded as"amajor
proportion of(thetotal) domestic production" inthecontext ofparagraph 1(c)ofArticle 4ofthe
Agreement onSafeguards?