RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/W/377
G/SCM/W/387
ORGANIZATION 23April 1996
(96-1517)
Original: English Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
QUESTIONS POSED BY
THE UNITED STATES TOSLOVENIA1
CONCERNING THE LATTER 'SNOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND
REGULATIONS UNDER ARTICLES 18.5AND 32.6OFTHE AGREEMENTS
Thefollowing communication, dated 16April 1996, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission oftheUnited States.
_______________
1. Article 16oftheSlovenia LawontheProtection ofCompetition indicates thatanti-dumping
andcountervailing duties maybeimposed when dumped orsubsidized imports cause "substantial injury"
tothedomestic industry. Article 13oftheDecree onDumped andSubsidized Imports (theDecree)
defines injury "assubstantial injury orthethreat ofsuchinjury tothedomestic industry orthe
considerable retardation ofthisindustry." Towhatextend dotheseprovisions differ fromthedefinition
ofmaterial injury contained inArticle 3,n.9oftheAnti-Dumping Agreement (A-D Agreement) and
Article 15,n.45oftheAgreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures (SCM Agreement)?
2. Article 19oftheDecree, which contains thedomestic industry definition, doesnotprovide
forfindings ofregional industries, aspermitted byArticle 4.2oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 16.3
oftheSCM Agreement. Does Slovenian lawcontemplate suchfindings?
3. Article 3.2oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 15.2oftheSCM Agreement require anevaluation
of“whether there hasbeenasignificant price undercutting bythedumped imports ascompared with
thepriceofalikeproduct ”orwhether theeffect oftheunfairly traded imports “isotherwise todepress
prices toasignificant degree orprevent price increases, which otherwise would haveoccurred, toa
significant degree. ”Howisthelanguage inArticle 14(1) oftheDecree, stating thatinjury isdetermined
inpartonthebasis oftheimpact oftheunfairly traded imports onprices "especially ifthese areat
alevelthatsignificantly influence thelevelofprices," consistent withArticle 3.2oftheA-DAgreement
andArticle 15.2oftheSCM Agreement?
4. Article 3.4oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 15.4oftheSCM Agreement require anevaluation
ofcertain relevant economic factors intheexamination oftheimpact ofthedumped imports onthe
domestic industry. There isnorequirement inArticle 14.1oftheDecree toevaluate allofthefactors
enumerated inArticle 3.4oftheA-DAgreement and15.4oftheSCM Agreement. HowwillSlovenian
lawimplement these requirements?
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5. Does Article 15oftheDecree, which provides forthecumulative assessment ofinjury from
imports from several countries incertain circumstances, conform totherequirement (contained in
Article 3.3oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 15.3oftheSCM Agreement) thatthecumulated imports
besimultaneously subject toinvestigation?
6. Article 17(1) oftheDecree defines threat ofinjury as"asituation inwhich substantial injury
islikely tooccur”.Isthislanguage consistent withArticle 3.7oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 15.7
oftheSCM Agreement which require thatthreat ofmaterial injury “must beclearly foreseen and
imminent ”?
7. Article 17(2) oftheDecree provides alistoffactors tobeexamined inthecontext ofathreat
analysis. Does thelanguage requiring anexamination of"thegrowth inthelevelofdumping orof
subsidized imports intotheRepublic ofSlovenia" comply withArticle 3.7(i) oftheA-DAgreement
andArticle 15.7(i) oftheSCM Agreement, which require theauthority toconsider a“significant rate
ofincrease ”ofimports?
8. Article 17(2) oftheDecree requires anexamination ofthe“export capacities ofthecountry
oforigin orexport already inexistence andwhich islikely tocontinue intheforeseeable future, and
thepossibility ofproducts fromthesecapacities tobesubject ofimports intotheRepublic ofSlovenia. ”
Isthisprovision consistent withtherequirement toanalyze “sufficient freely disposable, oranimminent,
substantial increase in,capacity oftheexporter ”,contained inArticle 3.7oftheA-DAgreement and
Article 15.7oftheSCM Agreement?
9. Article 17(2) oftheDecree requires anexamination of"theprices ofimported products which
arelikely tosignificantly cause adepression ofprices (orthemaintenance ofdepressed prices) inthe
domestic market." Isthisprovision construed consistent withtherequirement ofArticle 3.7(iii) of
theA-DAgreement andArticle 15.7(iii) oftheSCM Agreement, thattheauthority “consider whether
imports areentering atprices thatwillhaveasignificant depressing orsuppressing effect ondomestic
prices, andwould likely increase demand forfurther imports ”?
10. Doestherequirement toexamine "thesupply oftheproduct subject totheprocedure" contained
inArticle 17(2) oftheDecree comply withtherequirement ofArticle 3.7(iv) oftheA-DAgreement
andArticle 15.7(iv) oftheSCM Agreement, which require theauthority toconsider “inventories of
theproduct being investigated ”inthecontext ofitsthreat analysis?
11. Howisthedefinition of"similar products", contained inArticle 18oftheDecree, consistent
withthedefinition of"likeproduct", contained inArticle 2.6oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 15,
n.45oftheSCM Agreement?
12. IsArticle27(concerningpublicationsofdecisions)oftheDecreeconstruedorappliedconsistently
withthedetailed requirements ofArticle 12oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 22oftheSCM Agreement
concerning public notice andexplanation ofdeterminations?
13. Article 24(5) oftheDecree requires theBureau to"facilitate totheparties" information which
is"important fortheprotection ofindividual party'sinterests andwhich isusedintheinvestigation
bytheBureau". Tothisend,Article 24(5) allows interested parties to"submit awritten request to
theBureau andspecify thedatawhich thisparty wishes toexamine". Howisthisprovision consistent
withArticles 6.1.2 oftheA-DAgreement and12.1.2 oftheSCM Agreement tomake information
presentedinwritingbyoneinterestedpartyavailabletootherinterestedparties,subjecttotherequirement
toprotect confidential information? How isthisprovision consistent withArticles 6.9oftheA-D
Agreement andArticles 12.8oftheSCM Agreement which require theauthority to"inform allinterestedG/ADP/W/377
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parties oftheessential factsunder consideration which formthebasisofthedecision," without regard
towhether aspecific request forparticular information hasbeentendered? Howcanaparty identify
information withparticularity when itmaynotknow what information theBureau mayuseinits
investigation, much lesshaveinitspossession?
14. How doesSlovenian lawimplement therequirement ofArticle 6.13oftheA-DAgreement
andArticle 12.11 oftheSCM Agreement, which require theauthorities totakeintoaccount parties ’
difficulties insupplying theinformation requested?
15. Theterm“party”isusedin,interalia,Article 24oftheDecree, butisnotdefined. Does
Slovenia ’sapplication orconstruction ofthistermconform withtheinterested party definition in
Article 6.11oftheA-DAgreement andArticle 12.9oftheSCM Agreement?
16. Article 22oftheDecree provides fortherejection ofanapplication upon afinding thatthe
dumped orsubsidized imports are"insignificant". Isthelanguage "except incases where thetotal
import form more thanonecountry amount tomore thanseven percent ofthetotalimport oflike
products intotheRepublic ofSlovenia" consistent withthelanguage "unless countries which individually
account forlessthan3percentoftheimports ofthelikeproduct intheimporting Member collectively
account formore than7percentofimports ofthelikeproduct intheimporting Member", contained
inArticle 5.8oftheA-DAgreement?
17. Where doesSlovenian lawaddress therequirements ofArticle 27.10 oftheSCM Agreement,
which provides fortermination ofaninvestigation ofproducts originating inadeveloping country in
specific circumstances?
18. HowdoesArticle 29oftheDecree, governing provisional measures, fulfil thepreconditions
fortheimposition ofprovisional measures setforth inArticle 7.1(i)-(ii) oftheA-DAgreement and
Article 17.1(a)-(b) oftheSCM Agreement?
19. How isthecondition contained inthesecond paragraph ofArticle 31(1)(a) oftheDecree
(governing theretroactive imposition ofanti-dumping duties) stating thatthedumping "iscarried out
tosuchanextent thattheimport duties forsuchimports mustbeenforced retroactively toprevent the
repetition ofsuchoccurrences" consistent withthecondition setforth inArticle 10.6oftheA-D
Agreement, stating thatthedumping "islikely toseriously undermine theremedial effect ofthedefinitive
anti-dumping dutytobeapplied"?
20. How doesArticle 31fulfil therequirement ofArticle 10.6(ii) oftheA-DAgreement that
retroactive duties beimposed onlyafter"theimporters concerned havebeengiven anopportunity to
comment"?