   
  
G/SG/N/10/EU/1/Suppl.2  
 
21 May 2019  
(19-3524) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Safeguards  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER A RTICLE  12.1( C) OF THE AGREEMENT O N 
SAFEGUARDS UPON TAKING A DECISI ON TO INITIATE A  
REVIEW INVESTIGATION  OF A SAFEGUARD MEAS URE 
EUROPEAN UNION 
(Certain steel products ) 
Supplement  
The following communication, dated 20 May 2019 , is being  circul ated at the request of the 
Delegation of the European Union . 
 
_______________  
 
 
Pursuant to Article 12.1( c) of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards (Safeguards Agreement), the 
European Union notifies that a review safeguard investigation has been initiat ed as follows:  
 
1  SPECIFY THE DATE WHE N THE INVESTIGATION WAS INITIATED  
The European Commission ( 'the Commission ') initiated the review investigation on 17 May 2019.  
 
A copy of the Notice of Initiation, which includes inter alia the scope and the applicab le rules of 
procedure of the investigation, is attached. The Notice has been published in the Official Journal of 
the European Union1. 
 
2  SPECIFY THE PRODUCT SUBJECT TO THE INVES TIGATION  
The product subject to this investigation is certain steel products (t he 'product concerned '). The 
product concerned, together with the CN codes within which it is currently classified, are listed in 
the Annex to this notification. Those CN codes are given for information purposes only.  
 
3  PROVIDE THE REASONS FOR THE INITIATIO N OF THE INVESTIGATI ON  
In notification G/SG/N/8/EU/1 –G/SG/N/10/EU/1 -G/SG/N/11/EU/1/Suppl.1 of 4 January 2019, the 
European Union concluded that there had been an absolute increase in imports which threatened 
to cause injury to the EU domestic steel produc ers. Accordingly, the Commission imposed 
definitive safeguard measures, which came into effect on 2 February 20192. 
 
Nevertheless, the European Union considered that, based on the Union interest, it may have to 
adjust the level or allocation of the tariff-rate quota as set out in the definitive measures in case of 
changes of circumstances, of lasting nature, during the period of imposition of the measures3. The 
European Union committed to initiate a first review investigation on 1 July 2019 at the la test. 
Considering the development of imports of certain product categories and their corresponding 
quota usage since the introduction of the measures, the Commission intends to focus the 
investigation on the following issues in order to examine whether the re are changed circumstances 
                                                
1 OJ C 169, 17.5.2019, p. 9 –15. 
2 Commission implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/15  of 31.01.2019 , OJ L 31, 1.02.2019 p. 27.  
3 Recital 161 of Commission implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/159.  G/SG/N/10/EU/1/Suppl.2  
 
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  of lasting nature justifying an adjustment in the level or the allocation of the existing tariff -rate 
quota:  
 
A. Level and allocation of tariff -rate quota for a number of specific product categories.  
 
B. Crowding -out of traditional trade flows  
 
C. Potential detrimental effects in achieving the integration objectives pursued with 
preferential trading partners  
 
D. Update of the list of developing WTO member countries excluded from the scope of the 
measures based on their most recent level of imports  
 
E. Other changes of circumstances that may require an adjustment to the level of 
allocation of the tariff -rate quota  
 
4  PROVIDE A POINT OF C ONTACT FOR THE INVES TIGATION AND IDENTIF Y THE 
PREFERRED MEANS FOR CORRESPONDING.    
Commission address for correspondence:  
 
European Commission  
Directorate -General for Trade  
Directorate H, Unit H5  
Office: CHAR 03/66  
1049 Bruxelles/Brussel  
BELGIQUE/BELGIË  
 
E-mail address: TRADE -SAFE009 -REVIEW@ec.europa.eu  
 
5  PROVIDE THE DEADLINE S AND PROCE DURES FOR IMPORTERS,  EXPORTERS AND 
OTHER INTERESTED PAR TIES TO PRESENT EVID ENCE AND THEIR VIEWS , INCLUDING (I) 
DEADLINES AND PROCED URES FOR MEMBERS AND  EXPORTERS TO IDENTI FY 
THEMSELVES AS INTERE STED PARTIES, IF SO REQUIRED, TO PARTICI PATE IN THE 
INVESTIGAT ION, AND (II) THE DA TE OF AN INTENDED PU BLIC HEARING AS PROV IDED 
FOR IN ARTICLE 3.1.  
 
In order to obtain the information it deems necessary for its investigation, the Commission will 
invite interested parties to make submissions in writing within the 15 d ays following the 
publication of the Notice of Initiation of the review in the Official Journal of the European Union . 
The Commission will then make available in the open file the non -limited versions of all the 
submissions received, so that all interested  parties will have the possibility to comment on other 
parties ' submissions. These comments shall reach the Commission within 7 days from the moment 
the non -limited versions of the submissions are made available in the open file of the case. 
Interested par ties making a submission are requested to clearly state in their correspondence 
which of the above review issue(s) is (are) concerned by their submission.  
 
All exporting producers, importers and users of the product concerned and their associations, as 
well as third country governments concerned, which were registered as interested parties in the 
original proceeding will automatically maintain such status for  the review investigation. These 
parties are invited to make known their views in writing, submit information and to provide 
supporting evidence. Any other party wishing to take part in the review investigation, and that did 
not participate in the original  proceeding, may make themselves known by contacting the 
Commission, preferably by TRON.tdi  (https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/TDI ) immediately but 
no later than 15 days after the publication of t his Notice in the Official Journal of the European 
Union .  
 
Interested parties should send all written submissions and requests to the Commission 
by TRON.tdi ( https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/TDI ).    
Interested parties may request an intervention of the Hearing Officer. In principle, these 
interventions shall be limited to the issues that have arisen during the current review proceeding.  G/SG/N/10/EU/1/Suppl.2  
 
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  Any party wishing to request such intervention shall formu late its request within 15 days following 
the publication of the Notice of Initiation in the Official Journal of the European Union.  
 
For further information and contact details interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer's web 
pages on DG Trade's w ebsite: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/trade -policy -and-you/contacts/hearing -
officer /. 
 
Any submission of views and information after the above deadlines may be disregarded.  
 
ANNEX I  
 
List of product categories subject to definitive safeguard measures  
 
Product 
Number  Product category  
1 Non Alloy and Other Alloy Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips  
2 Non Alloy and Other Alloy Cold Rolled Sheets  
3.A 
Electrical Sheets (other than GOES)  
3.B 
4.A 
Metallic Coated Sheets  
4.B 
5 Organic Coated Sheets  
6 Tin Mill products  
7 Non Alloy and Other Alloy Quarto Plates  
8 Stainless Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips  
9 Stainless Cold Rolled Sheets and Strips  
10 Stainless Hot Rolled Quarto Plates  
12 Non Alloy and Other Alloy Merchant Bars and Light Sections  
13 Rebars  
14 Stainless Bars and Light Sections  
15 Stainless Wire Rod  
16 Non Alloy and Other Alloy Wire Rod  
17 Angles, Shapes and Sections of Iron or Non  Alloy Steel  
18 Sheet Piling  
19 Railway Material  
20 Gas pipes  
21 Hollow sections  
22 Seamless Stainless Tubes and Pipes  
24 Other Seamless Tubes  
25 Large welded tubes  
26 Other Welded Pipes  
27 Non-alloy and other alloy cold finished bars  
28 Non Alloy Wire  
 
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