RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/W/133
12March 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0886)
Original: Spanish Committee onSafeguards
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES1
CONCERNING THE NOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS
OFCUBA2UNDER ARTICLE 12.6OFTHE AGREEMENT
Thefollowing communication, dated 21February 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofCuba.
_______________
Question
TheEuropean Community hasstudied thecommunication fromCuba inwhich thelatter states
thatithasnotyetadopted anyspecific legislation toimplement theAgreement onSafeguards andthat
domestic trade policy iscurrently being revised.
TheEuropean Community invites theCuban authorities toadopt suchlegislation asrapidly
aspossible.
Until thislegislation isadopted:
1. WilltheCuban authorities adopt safeguard measures?
Reply
Until ithasspecific legislation onthissubject, theGovernment oftheRepublic ofCuba will
refrainfromadoptingsafeguardmeasures.Nevertheless,onanexceptionalbasis,quantitativerestrictions
maybeapplied assafeguards totheextent necessary toprevent orremedy serious injury todomestic
industry, taking intoaccount therulesoftheWTO Agreement onSafeguards, which islegally binding
inCuban territory.
Question
2. Insuchacase, howcantheCuban authorities guarantee thatthesafeguard measures adopted
willbeinaccordance withtheprovisions oftheAgreement onSafeguards?
1G/SG/W/88.
2G/ADP/N/1/CUB/1-G/SCM/N/1/CUB/1-G/SG/N/1/CUB/1 +G/ADP/N/1/CUB/Suppl.1.
./.G/SG/W/133
Page2
Reply
Under Decree-Law No.147,dated 21April 1994, "ontheReorganization oftheOrgans of
theCentral Administration", theMinistry ofFinance andPrices andtheMinistry ofForeign Trade
arethecompetent authorities toinitiate andconduct, jointly, investigations intotheapplication of
safeguards andarerequired under Decree-Law No.124,aswellasbyvirtue ofratification bythe
Council ofState oftheAgreement establishing theWTO, tocomply withthecommitments setout
intheAgreement onSafeguards. Theactions ofthese authorities will,during thetemporary absence
ofspecific legislation, including aprocedure forinvestigations, begoverned bytherules ofthe
Agreement onSafeguards.
Forsome months, thecompetent authorities havebeenworking onthepreparation ofspecific
legislation onthismatter, which forms partofthewhole process ofareview ofCuban trade policy
asaresult ofbringing itintolinewiththenewconditions forthedevelopment ofourforeign trade.
Itisaworking objective forbothMinistries in1996 tocomplete thislegislation andsubmit for
consideration bytheGovernment, andonceithasbeenadopted itwillbenotified totheWTO.