WORLD TRADE G/SG/N/6/ARG/1/Suppl.1
G/SG/N/7/ARG/1/Suppl.1
ORGANIZATION 18March 1997
(97-1107)
Original: Spanish Committee onSafeguards
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OFTHE AGREEMENT ON
SAFEGUARDS ONINITIATION OFANINVESTIGATION
AND THE REASONS FOR IT
AND
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.4OFTHE AGREEMENT ON
SAFEGUARDS BEFORE TAKING APROVISIONAL SAFEGUARD
MEASURE REFERRED TOINARTICLE 6
ARGENTINA
Supplement
Thefollowing communication, dated 5March 1997, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofArgentina.
_______________
Ihavethehonour toattach hereto, inconnection withtheArgentine notification contained in
documents G/SG/N/6/ARG/1 andG/SG/N/7/ARG/1, acopyofResolution 226/97, published inthe
Official Gazette oftheArgentine Republic No.28592 on24February 1997.
Foreign trade
Resolution 228/97
Ithasbeendecided toopenasafeguards investigation concerning imports offootwear
Buenos Aires 14/2/97
Having regard tofileNo.061-003358/96 oftheRegistry oftheMinistry oftheEconomy and
Public Works andServices, and
Whereas:
Inthefilementioned above, theChamber oftheFootwear Industry requested anopening of
aninvestigation aimed attheapplication ofasafeguard measure onimported footwear released for
consumption under thefollowing tariff headings oftheMERCOSUR Common Tariff Nomenclature:
6401.10.00, 6401.91.00, 6401.92.00, 6401.99.00, 6402.19.00, 6402.20.00, 6402.30.00, 6402.91.00,
6402.99.00, 6403.19.00, 6403.20.00, 6403.30.00, 6403.40.00, 6403.51.00, 6403.59.00, 6403.91.00,G/SG/N/6/ARG/1/Suppl.1
G/SG/N/7/ARG/1/Suppl.1
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6403.99.00, 6404.11.00, 6404.19.00, 6404.20.00, 6405.10.10, 6405.10.20, 6405.10.90, 6405.20.00,
6405.90.00.
Initsapplication, theChamber oftheFootwear Industry requested thatski-boots andsnow
board boots beleftoutoftheinvestigation astheywere notconsidered tobesensitive products.
TheNationalForeignTradeCommission,adecentralizedbodyundertheSecretariatforIndustry,
Trade andMining oftheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works andServices, decided thatthe
applicant 'scasethatincreased footwear imports represent athreat ofserious injury tothedomestic
industry coincides withevidence submitted inpleadings andthattheopening ofaninvestigation is
therefore justified.
TheUnder-Secretariat forForeign Trade attached totheSecretariat forIndustry, Trade and
Mining intheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works andServices confirmed thatthere wasa
substantial increase infootwear imports inbothabsolute andrelative terms.
TheUnder-Secretariat forForeign Trade found thatthere isacausal relationship between the
absolute andrelative increase inimports offootwear andthethreat ofserious injury totheindustry
submitting theapplication andthattheproposed readjustment planisconsidered attheoutset tobe
viable.
TheNational Foreign Trade Commission found thatthemere absence ofMinimum Specific
Duties would recreate thecritical circumstances required fortheadoption ofprovisional safeguard
measures andthatindetermining theexistence ofserious injury orthethreat ofserious injury, the
technical report oftheabove-named body considered thedifficult situation ofthedomestic industry
andthefinancial situation ofthemain footwear companies, whose debts areincreasing asdomestic
salesfall,andthispartly asaresult ofimport trends.
FileNo.061-000121/97 oftheRegistry oftheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works
andServices advocates theremoval ofMinimum Specific Duties onfootwear, which gives risetothe
imminent possibility ofserious injury orthethreat ofserious injury tothedomestic industry.
Ithasbeenascertained thatthecritical circumstances existasrequired under Article 35ofDecree
No.1059of19September 1996, published intheOfficial Gazette on24September 1996and,having
analysed thereport oftheNational Foreign Trade Commission, theUnder-Secretariat forForeign Trade
hasconcluded thatsufficient reasons existinterms oftiming, merit andadvisability tojustify theopening
ofaninvestigation andtoadopt aprovisional safeguard measure.
Inorder toavoid theinjury mentioned above anduntiltherelevant investigation isdecided
upon, itwould beadvisable tosetProvisional Minimum Specific Duties foreachtariff position as
outlined intheannex which isanintegral partofthisresolution.
Inlightoftheforegoing, thecritical circumstances described byLawNo.24.425 forproceeding
withprovisional safeguard measures doexist.
There aresome types offootwear notproduced inthecountry which donotreplace other types
produced locally andforwhich noprovisional duties areset.
ThePermanent Legal Service oftheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works andServices
hastaken theappropriate steps andisoftheopinion thattheproposed measure islegally sound.G/SG/N/6/ARG/1/Suppl.1
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Thepresent resolution isissued intheexercise ofthepowers conferred byLawNo.24.425
andArticle 36ofDecree No.1059 of19September 1996, published intheOfficial Gazette on
24September 1996.
Therefore,
TheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works andServices resolves:
Article 1-Toopenasafeguards investigation concerning footwear exported totheArgentine
RepublicandreleasedforconsumptionunderthefollowingtariffheadingsintheCommonNomenclature
ofMERCOSUR: 6401.10.00, 6401.91.00, 6401.92.00, 6401.99.00, 6402.19.00, 6402.20.00,
6402.30.00, 6402.91.00, 6402.99.00, 6403.19.00, 6403.20.00, 6403.30.00, 6403.40.00, 6403.51.00,
6403.59.00, 6403.91.00, 6403.99.00, 6404.11.00, 6404.19.00, 6404.20.00, 6405.10.10, 6405.10.20,
6405.10.90, 6405.20.00, 6405.90.00.
Article 2-TosettheProvisional Minimum Specific Duties specified intheAnnex hereto, which
isanintegral partofthisresolution.
Article 3-Incompleting theformalities fortheimportation ofthegoods mentioned inthe
proceeding Article forfinalconsumption andwithout preferential treatment, aCertificate ofOrigin
mustbepresented pursuant toArticle 2(b)ofResolution No.763of7June1996 andsupplementary
regulations oftheMinistry oftheEconomy andPublic Works andServices, asfromtheeffective date
ofthepresent resolution.
Article 4-Toset24April 1997 asthedateforthehearing envisaged under Article 13(e) of
Decree 1059 of19September 1996.
Article 5-Theprovisional safeguard measure decided intheimmediately preceding Articles
shallbeinforce for200(twohundred) days, asfrom theeffective dateofthisresolution.
Article 6-Thepresent resolution shallcome intoeffect asfromthedayfollowing itspublication
intheOfficial Gazette oftheArgentine Republic.
Article 7-Theprovisions ofArticles 13and40ofDecree No.1059 of19September 1996
shallbefulfilled.
Article8-Forcommunication,publication,transmittaltotheNationalDepartmentoftheOfficial
Registry andarchiving. Roque B.Fernández.G/SG/N/6/ARG/1/Suppl.1
G/SG/N/7/ARG/1/Suppl.1
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Annex toResolution No.228
Provisional Minimum Specific Duties onFootwear Imports
Tariff heading US$perpair
6401.10.00 7.80
6401.91.00 6.40
6401.92.00 2.20
6401.99.00 1.40
6402.12.00 0.00
6402.19.00 7.40
6402.20.00 0.90
6402.30.00 11.50
6402.91.00 7.00
6402.99.00 6.30
6403.12.00 0.00
6403.19.00 12.10
6403.20.00 5.00
6403.30.00 3.50
6403.40.00 6.90
6403.51.00 7.60
6403.59.00 7.17
6403.91.00 10.40
6403.99.00 7.30
6404.11.00 7.00
6404.19.00 2.50
6404.20.00 2.90
6405.10.10 6.00
6405.10.20 6.50
6405.10.90 6.50
6405.20.00*0.84
6405.90.00 0.00
*Excepting footwear withfeltsoles anduppers.