RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/W/369
G/SCM/W/379
23April 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1521)
Original: Spanish Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
QUESTIONS POSED BYVENEZUELA CONCERNING THE NOTIFICATION
PROVIDED BYSOUTH AFRICA1OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS
UNDER ARTICLES 18.5AND 32.6OFTHE AGREEMENTS
Thefollowing communication, dated 16April 1996, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofVenezuela.
_______________
Questions Posed byVenezuela Concerning South Africa 'sAnti-Dumping
andCountervailing Measures Legislation
VenezuelahasthefollowingquestionsconcerningtheAnti-DumpingandCountervailingMeasures
Legislation notified bySouth Africa indocuments G/ADP/N/1/ZAF/1 andG/SCM/N/1/ZAF/1 dated
8December 1995.
1. GENERAL
(a) Could thedelegation ofSouth Africa saywhether theMarrakesh Agreement anditsassociated
Agreements, including theAnti-Dumping Agreement (A-D Agreement) andtheAgreement
onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures (SCM Agreement) form partofSouth Africa 's
domestic legislation?
(b) What isthestatus oftheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements within South Africa 'sdomestic
legislation and,inparticular, inrelation totheA-DandSCM legislation previously promulgated
andanylegislation which might bepromulgated subsequent tothesaidAgreements?
(c) How aretheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements applied andincorporated inSouth Africa 's
domestic legislation?
(d) Isitintended tointroduce newA-DandSCM domestic legislation inorder toimplement the
WTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements? Ifso,whatstatus willthenewlegislation haveinrelation
totheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements andother pre-existing legislation?
1G/ADP/N/1/ZAF/1-G/SCM/N/1/ZAF/1.G/ADP/W/369
G/SCM/W/379
Page2
2. SUBSTANTIVE ASPECTS OFTHE A-DAND SCM LEGISLATION NOTIFIED BY
SOUTH AFRICA
2.1 Injury orthreat ofinjury
(a) Observations
South Africa 'sA-DandSCM legislation doesnotmention theexamination orsignificance of
thevolume ofimports forthepurposes ofdetermining injury, asprovided forinArticles 3and15
oftheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements.
Questions
Canthedelegation ofSouth Africa saywhether theA-DandSCM authorities examine the
volume andsignificance ofthedumped orsubsidized imports forthepurposes ofdetermining injury?
Canthedelegation ofSouth Africa confirm thatthisexamination isgoverned bytheprovisions ofthe
WTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements?
(b) Observations
South Africa 'sA-DandSCM legislation doesnotspecify thefactors which mustbeexamined
forthepurposes ofdetermining threat ofinjury tothedomestic industry.
Questions
Canthedelegation ofSouth Africa saywhether itsauthorities takeintoaccount thefactors
fordetermining theexistence ofathreat ofinjury tothedomestic industry listed inArticles 3.7and
15.7oftheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements respectively?
2.2 Determination ofnormal value
(a) Observations
According toArticle 16ofSouth Africa 'sA-Dlegislation, intheabsence ofapricecontemplated
inparagraph (a)itispossible totakeasthenormal value "thehighest comparable price" atwhich like
goods arebeing exported toanythirdcountry intheordinary course oftrade.
Question
HowdoesArticle 16ofSouth Africa 'sA-Dlegislation fitinwiththeprovisions ofArticle 2.2
oftheWTO 'sA-DAgreement?
2.3 Determination ofsubsidy
(a) Observations
South Africa 'sSCM legislation (Article 1oftheBoard onTariffs andTrade ActandArticle 17
oftheGuide) doesnotappear toestablish specificity criteria ofthekindcontained inArticle 2ofthe
WTO 'sAgreement onSubsidies.G/ADP/W/369
G/SCM/W/379
Page3
Question
Arethere, ordotheSouth African authorities takeintoaccount, specificity criteria for
determining theexistence ofsubsidies ofthekindindicated inArticle 2oftheWTO 'sAgreement on
Subsidies?
2.4 Degree ofsupport fororopposition tothepetition
(a) Observations
Articles 18and19ofSouth Africa 'sA-DandSCM legislation saynothing about thedegree
ofsupport fororopposition totheinitiation ofaninvestigation orthepercentages mentioned in
Articles 5.4and11.4oftheWTO 'sA-DandSCM Agreements.
Questions
DotheSouth African authorities takeintoaccount thedegree ofsupport oropposition inthe
domestic industry when initiating aninvestigation? DotheSouth African authorities takeintoaccount
thepercentages (50percentand25percent) fordetermining whether thepetitioner represents the
domestic producers oflikegoods?
2.5 Provisional measures
(a) Observations
South Africa 'sA-DandSCM legislation saysnothing about provisional measures notbeing
applied sooner thansixty (60)daysfrom thedateofinitiation oftheinvestigation.
Question
Isthere, ordotheSouth African authorities takeintoaccount, aperiod ofsixty (60)days,
asrequired byArticles 7.3and17.3oftheA-DandSCM Agreements respectively, before provisional
measures canbeapplied?
2.6 Deminimis criteria andsignificance ofimports
(a) Observations
Itisnoted thatSouth Africa 'sA-DandSCM legislation saysnothing about deminimis margins
ofdumping oramounts ofsubsidy orabout negligible volumes ofimports.
Questions
Intheirinvestigations, dotheSouth African authorities takeintoaccount deminimis margins
ofdumping oramounts ofsubsidy andthesignificance ofthevolume ofimports? Canthedelegation
ofSouth Africa saywhether ittakes intoaccount thedeminimis andnegligibility criteria established
inArticles 5.8and11.9oftheA-DandSCM Agreements respectively?