AGREEMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION
OF ARTICLE VI
OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON
TARIFFS AND TRADE 1994
Members hereby agree as follows:
PART I
Article 1
Principles
An anti-dumping measure shall be
applied only under the circumstances provided for in Article VI
of GATT 1994 and pursuant to
investigations initiated1 and
conducted in accordance with the provisions
of this Agreement. The following
provisions govern the application of Article VI of GATT 1994 in
so far as action is taken under
anti-dumping legislation or regulations.
Article 2
Determination of Dumping
2.1 For the purpose of this Agreement,
a product is to be considered as being dumped, i.e. introduced
into the commerce of another country at
less than its normal value, if the export price of the product
exported from one country to another is
less than the comparable price, in the ordinary course of trade,
for the like product when destined for
consumption in the exporting country.
2.2 When there are no sales of the like
product in the ordinary course of trade in the domestic market
of the exporting country or when,
because of the particular market situation or the low volume of the
sales in the domestic market of the
exporting country2,
such sales do not permit a proper comparison,
the margin of dumping shall be
determined by comparison with a comparable price of the like product
when exported to an appropriate third
country, provided that this price is representative, or with the
cost of production in the country of
origin plus a reasonable amount for administrative, selling and
general costs and for profits.
2.2.1 Sales of the like product in the
domestic market of the exporting country or sales to
a third country at prices below per
unit (fixed and variable) costs of production plus
administrative, selling and general
costs may be treated as not being in the ordinary
course of trade by reason of price and
may be disregarded in determining normal value
1The
term "initiated" as used in this Agreement means the procedural
action by which a Member formally commences
an investigation as provided in Article
5.
2Sales
of the like product destined for consumption in the domestic market of the
exporting country shall normally be
considered a sufficient quantity for
the determination of the normal value if such sales constitute 5 per cent or
more of the
sales of the product under
consideration to the importing Member, provided that a lower ratio should be
acceptable where
the evidence demonstrates that domestic
sales at such lower ratio are nonetheless of sufficient magnitude to provide
for a
proper comparison.
Page 146
only if the authorities3 determine that such sales are made within an extended
period
of time4 in substantial quantities5 and
are at prices which do not provide for the recovery
of all costs within a reasonable period
of time. If prices which are below per unit costs
at the time of sale are above weighted
average per unit costs for the period of
investigation, such prices shall be
considered to provide for recovery of costs within
a reasonable period of time.
2.2.1.1 For the purpose of paragraph 2,
costs shall normally be calculated on the basis
of records kept by the exporter or
producer under investigation, provided that
such records are in accordance with the
generally accepted accounting principles
of the exporting country and reasonably
reflect the costs associated with the
production and sale of the product
under consideration. Authorities shall
consider all available evidence on the
proper allocation of costs, including that
which is made available by the exporter
or producer in the course of the
investigation provided that such
allocations have been historically utilized by
the exporter or producer, in particular
in relation to establishing appropriate
amortization and depreciation periods
and allowances for capital expenditures
and other development costs. Unless
already reflected in the cost allocations
under this sub-paragraph, costs shall
be adjusted appropriately for those
non-recurring items of cost which
benefit future and/or current production, or
for circumstances in which costs during
the period of investigation are affected
by start-up operations.6
2.2.2 For the purpose of paragraph 2,
the amounts for administrative, selling and general
costs and for profits shall be based on
actual data pertaining to production and sales
in the ordinary course of trade of the
like product by the exporter or producer under
investigation. When such amounts cannot
be determined on this basis, the amounts
may be determined on the basis of:
(i) the actual amounts incurred and
realized by the exporter or producer in question
in respect of production and sales in
the domestic market of the country of
origin of the same general category of
products;
(ii) the weighted average of the actual
amounts incurred and realized by other
exporters or producers subject to
investigation in respect of production and
sales of the like product in the
domestic market of the country of origin;
3When
in this Agreement the term "authorities" is used, it shall be
interpreted as meaning authorities at an appropriate
senior level.
4The
extended period of time should normally be one year but shall in no case be
less than six months.
5Sales
below per unit costs are made in substantial quantities when the authorities
establish that the weighted average
selling price of the transactions under
consideration for the determination of the normal value is below the weighted
average
per unit costs, or that the volume of
sales below per unit costs represents not less than 20 per cent of the volume
sold in
transactions under consideration for
the determination of the normal value.
6The
adjustment made for start-up operations shall reflect the costs at the end of
the start-up period or, if that period extends
beyond the period of investigation, the
most recent costs which can reasonably be taken into account by the authorities
during
the investigation.
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(iii) any other reasonable method,
provided that the amount for profit so established
shall not exceed the profit normally
realized by other exporters or producers
on sales of products of the same
general category in the domestic market of
the country of origin.
2.3 In cases where there is no export
price or where it appears to the authorities concerned that
the export price is unreliable because
of association or a compensatory arrangement between the exporter
and the importer or a third party, the
export price may be constructed on the basis of the price at which
the imported products are first resold
to an independent buyer, or if the products are not resold to an
independent buyer, or not resold in the
condition as imported, on such reasonable basis as the authorities
may determine.
2.4 A fair comparison shall be made
between the export price and the normal value. This comparison
shall be made at the same level of
trade, normally at the ex-factory level, and in respect of sales made
at as nearly as possible the same time.
Due allowance shall be made in each case, on its merits, for
differences which affect price
comparability, including differences in conditions and terms of sale,
taxation, levels of trade, quantities,
physical characteristics, and any other differences which are also
demonstrated to affect price
comparability.7 In the cases referred to in
paragraph 3, allowances for
costs, including duties and taxes,
incurred between importation and resale, and for profits accruing,
should also be made. If in these cases
price comparability has been affected, the authorities shall establish
the normal value at a level of trade
equivalent to the level of trade of the constructed export price, or
shall make due allowance as warranted
under this paragraph. The authorities shall indicate to the parties
in question what information is
necessary to ensure a fair comparison and shall not impose an
unreasonable burden of proof on those
parties.
2.4.1 When the comparison under
paragraph 4 requires a conversion of currencies, such
conversion should be made using the
rate of exchange on the date of sale8, provided
that when a sale of foreign currency on
forward markets is directly linked to the export
sale involved, the rate of exchange in
the forward sale shall be used. Fluctuations in
exchange rates shall be ignored and in
an investigation the authorities shall allow
exporters at least 60 days to have
adjusted their export prices to reflect sustained
movements in exchange rates during the
period of investigation.
2.4.2 Subject to the provisions
governing fair comparison in paragraph 4, the existence of
margins of dumping during the
investigation phase shall normally be established on
the basis of a comparison of a weighted
average normal value with a weighted average
of prices of all comparable export
transactions or by a comparison of normal value
and export prices on a
transaction-to-transaction basis. A normal value established
on a weighted average basis may be
compared to prices of individual export transactions
if the authorities find a pattern of
export prices which differ significantly among different
purchasers, regions or time periods,
and if an explanation is provided as to why such
differences cannot be taken into
account appropriately by the use of a weighted
average-to-weighted average or
transaction-to-transaction comparison.
7It
is understood that some of the above factors may overlap, and authorities shall
ensure that they do not duplicate
adjustments that have been already made
under this provision.
8Normally,
the date of sale would be the date of contract, purchase order, order
confirmation, or invoice, whichever establishes
the material terms of sale.
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2.5 In the case where products are not
imported directly from the country of origin but are exported
to the importing Member from an
intermediate country, the price at which the products are sold from
the country of export to the importing
Member shall normally be compared with the comparable price
in the country of export. However,
comparison may be made with the price in the country of origin,
if, for example, the products are
merely transshipped through the country of export, or such products
are not produced in the country of
export, or there is no comparable price for them in the country of
export.
2.6 Throughout this Agreement the term
"like product" ("produit similaire") shall be interpreted
to mean a product which is identical,
i.e. alike in all respects to the product under consideration, or
in the absence of such a product,
another product which, although not alike in all respects, has
characteristics closely resembling
those of the product under consideration.
2.7 This Article is without prejudice
to the second Supplementary Provision to paragraph 1 of
Article VI in Annex I to GATT 1994.
Article 3
Determination of Injury9
3.1 A determination of injury for
purposes of Article VI of GATT 1994 shall be based on positive
evidence and involve an objective
examination of both (a) the volume of the dumped imports and the
effect of the dumped imports on prices
in the domestic market for like products, and (b) the consequent
impact of these imports on domestic
producers of such products.
3.2 With regard to the volume of the
dumped imports, the investigating authorities shall consider
whether there has been a significant
increase in dumped imports, either in absolute terms or relative
to production or consumption in the
importing Member. With regard to the effect of the dumped
imports on prices, the investigating
authorities shall consider whether there has been a significant price
undercutting by the dumped imports as
compared with the price of a like product of the importing
Member, or whether the effect of such
imports is otherwise to depress prices to a significant degree
or prevent price increases, which
otherwise would have occurred, to a significant degree. No one or
several of these factors can
necessarily give decisive guidance.
3.3 Where imports of a product from
more than one country are simultaneously subject to
anti-dumping investigations, the
investigating authorities may cumulatively assess the effects of such
imports only if they determine that (a)
the margin of dumping established in relation to the imports
from each country is more than de
minimis as defined in paragraph 8 of Article 5 and the volume of
imports from each country is not
negligible and (b) a cumulative assessment of the effects of the imports
is appropriate in light of the
conditions of competition between the imported products and the conditions
of competition between the imported
products and the like domestic product.
3.4 The examination of the impact of
the dumped imports on the domestic industry concerned shall
include an evaluation of all relevant
economic factors and indices having a bearing on the state of the
industry, including actual and
potential decline in sales, profits, output, market share, productivity, return
9Under
this Agreement the term "injury" shall, unless otherwise specified,
be taken to mean material injury to a domestic
industry, threat of material injury to
a domestic industry or material retardation of the establishment of such an
industry and
shall be interpreted in accordance with
the provisions of this Article.
Page 149
on investments, or utilization of
capacity; factors affecting domestic prices; the magnitude of the margin
of dumping; actual and potential
negative effects on cash flow, inventories, employment, wages, growth,
ability to raise capital or
investments. This list is not exhaustive, nor can one or several of these
factors
necessarily give decisive guidance.
3.5 It must be demonstrated that the
dumped imports are, through the effects of dumping, as set
forth in paragraphs 2 and 4, causing
injury within the meaning of this Agreement. The demonstration
of a causal relationship between the
dumped imports and the injury to the domestic industry shall be
based on an examination of all relevant
evidence before the authorities. The authorities shall also examine
any known factors other than the dumped
imports which at the same time are injuring the domestic
industry, and the injuries caused by
these other factors must not be attributed to the dumped imports.
Factors which may be relevant in this
respect include, inter alia, the volume and prices of imports
not sold at dumping prices, contraction
in demand or changes in the patterns of consumption, trade
restrictive practices of and
competition between the foreign and domestic producers, developments in
technology and the export performance
and productivity of the domestic industry.
3.6 The effect of the dumped imports
shall be assessed in relation to the domestic production of
the like product when available data
permit the separate identification of that production on the basis
of such criteria as the production
process, producers' sales and profits. If such separate identification
of that production is not possible, the
effects of the dumped imports shall be assessed by the examination
of the production of the narrowest
group or range of products, which includes the like product, for which
the necessary information can be
provided.
3.7 A determination of a threat of
material injury shall be based on facts and not merely on allegation,
conjecture or remote possibility. The
change in circumstances which would create a situation in which
the dumping would cause injury must be
clearly foreseen and imminent.10 In
making a determination
regarding the existence of a threat of
material injury, the authorities should consider, inter alia, such
factors as:
(i) a significant rate of increase of
dumped imports into the domestic market indicating
the likelihood of substantially
increased importation;
(ii) sufficient freely disposable, or
an imminent, substantial increase in, capacity of the
exporter indicating the likelihood of
substantially increased dumped exports to the
importing Member's market, taking into
account the availability of other export markets
to absorb any additional exports;
(iii) whether imports are entering at
prices that will have a significant depressing or
suppressing effect on domestic prices,
and would likely increase demand for further
imports; and
(iv) inventories of the product being
investigated.
No one of these factors by itself can
necessarily give decisive guidance but the totality of the factors
considered must lead to the conclusion
that further dumped exports are imminent and that, unless
protective action is taken, material
injury would occur.
10One
example, though not an exclusive one, is that there is convincing reason to
believe that there will be, in the near
future, substantially increased
importation of the product at dumped prices.
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3.8 With respect to cases where injury
is threatened by dumped imports, the application of
anti-dumping measures shall be
considered and decided with special care.
Article 4
Definition of Domestic
Industry
4.1 For the purposes of this Agreement,
the term "domestic industry" shall be interpreted as referring
to the domestic producers as a whole of
the like products or to those of them whose collective output
of the products constitutes a major
proportion of the total domestic production of those products, except
that:
(i) when producers are related11 to the exporters or importers or are themselves importers
of the allegedly dumped product, the
term "domestic industry" may be interpreted as
referring to the rest of the producers;
(ii) in exceptional circumstances the
territory of a Member may, for the production in
question, be divided into two or more
competitive markets and the producers within
each market may be regarded as a
separate industry if (a) the producers within such
market sell all or almost all of their
production of the product in question in that market,
and (b) the demand in that
market is not to any substantial degree supplied by producers
of the product in question located
elsewhere in the territory. In such circumstances,
injury may be found to exist even where
a major portion of the total domestic industry
is not injured, provided there is a
concentration of dumped imports into such an isolated
market and provided further that the
dumped imports are causing injury to the producers
of all or almost all of the production
within such market.
4.2 When the domestic industry has been
interpreted as referring to the producers in a certain area,
i.e. a market as defined in paragraph
1(ii), anti-dumping duties shall be levied12 only on the products
in question consigned for final
consumption to that area. When the constitutional law of the importing
Member does not permit the levying of
anti-dumping duties on such a basis, the importing Member
may levy the anti-dumping duties
without limitation only if (a) the exporters shall have been given
an opportunity to cease exporting at
dumped prices to the area concerned or otherwise give assurances
pursuant to Article 8 and adequate
assurances in this regard have not been promptly given, and (b) such
duties cannot be levied only on
products of specific producers which supply the area in question.
4.3 Where two or more countries have
reached under the provisions of paragraph 8(a) of
Article XXIV of GATT 1994 such a level
of integration that they have the characteristics of a single,
unified market, the industry in the
entire area of integration shall be taken to be the domestic industry
referred to in paragraph 1.
4.4 The provisions of paragraph 6 of
Article 3 shall be applicable to this Article.
11For
the purpose of this paragraph, producers shall be deemed to be related to
exporters or importers only if (a) one of
them directly or indirectly controls
the other; or (b) both of them are directly or indirectly controlled by
a third person;
or (c) together they directly or
indirectly control a third person, provided that there are grounds for believing
or suspecting
that the effect of the relationship is
such as to cause the producer concerned to behave differently from non-related
producers.
For the purpose of this paragraph, one
shall be deemed to control another when the former is legally or operationally
in a
position to exercise restraint or
direction over the latter.
12As
used in this Agreement "levy" shall mean the definitive or final
legal assessment or collection of a duty or tax.
Page 151
Article 5
Initiation and Subsequent
Investigation
5.1 Except as provided for in paragraph
6, an investigation to determine the existence, degree and
effect of any alleged dumping shall be
initiated upon a written application by or on behalf of the domestic
industry.
5.2 An application under paragraph 1 shall
include evidence of (a) dumping, (b) injury within the
meaning of Article VI of GATT 1994 as
interpreted by this Agreement and (c) a causal link between
the dumped imports and the alleged
injury. Simple assertion, unsubstantiated by relevant evidence,
cannot be considered sufficient to meet
the requirements of this paragraph. The application shall contain
such information as is reasonably
available to the applicant on the following:
(i) the identity of the applicant and a
description of the volume and value of the domestic
production of the like product by the
applicant. Where a written application is made
on behalf of the domestic industry, the
application shall identify the industry on behalf
of which the application is made by a
list of all known domestic producers of the like
product (or associations of domestic
producers of the like product) and, to the extent
possible, a description of the volume
and value of domestic production of the like
product accounted for by such
producers;
(ii) a complete description of the
allegedly dumped product, the names of the country or
countries of origin or export in
question, the identity of each known exporter or foreign
producer and a list of known persons
importing the product in question;
(iii) information on prices at which
the product in question is sold when destined for
consumption in the domestic markets of
the country or countries of origin or export
(or, where appropriate, information on
the prices at which the product is sold from the
country or countries of origin or
export to a third country or countries, or on the
constructed value of the product) and
information on export prices or, where appropriate,
on the prices at which the product is
first resold to an independent buyer in the territory
of the importing Member;
(iv) information on the evolution of
the volume of the allegedly dumped imports, the effect
of these imports on prices of the like
product in the domestic market and the consequent
impact of the imports on the domestic
industry, as demonstrated by relevant factors
and indices having a bearing on the
state of the domestic industry, such as those listed
in paragraphs 2 and 4 of Article 3.
5.3 The authorities shall examine the
accuracy and adequacy of the evidence provided in the
application to determine whether there
is sufficient evidence to justify the initiation of an investigation.
5.4 An investigation shall not be
initiated pursuant to paragraph 1 unless the authorities have
determined, on the basis of an
examination of the degree of support for, or opposition to, the application
expressed13 by domestic producers of the like product, that the application has been
made by or on
13In
the case of fragmented industries involving an exceptionally large number of
producers, authorities may determine
support and opposition by using
statistically valid sampling techniques.
Page 152
behalf of the domestic industry.14 The application shall be considered to have been made
"by or on
behalf of the domestic industry"
if it is supported by those domestic producers whose collective output
constitutes more than 50 per cent of
the total production of the like product produced by that portion
of the domestic industry expressing
either support for or opposition to the application. However, no
investigation shall be initiated when
domestic producers expressly supporting the application account
for less than 25 per cent of total
production of the like product produced by the domestic industry.
5.5 The authorities shall avoid, unless
a decision has been made to initiate an investigation, any
publicizing of the application for the
initiation of an investigation. However, after receipt of a properly
documented application and before
proceeding to initiate an investigation, the authorities shall notify
the government of the exporting Member
concerned.
5.6 If, in special circumstances, the
authorities concerned decide to initiate an investigation without
having received a written application
by or on behalf of a domestic industry for the initiation of such
investigation, they shall proceed only
if they have sufficient evidence of dumping, injury and a causal
link, as described in paragraph 2, to
justify the initiation of an investigation.
5.7 The evidence of both dumping and
injury shall be considered simultaneously (a) in the decision
whether or not to initiate an
investigation, and (b) thereafter, during the course of the
investigation,
starting on a date not later than the
earliest date on which in accordance with the provisions of this
Agreement provisional measures may be
applied.
5.8 An application under paragraph 1
shall be rejected and an investigation shall be terminated
promptly as soon as the authorities
concerned are satisfied that there is not sufficient evidence of either
dumping or of injury to justify
proceeding with the case. There shall be immediate termination in cases
where the authorities determine that
the margin of dumping is de minimis, or that the volume of dumped
imports, actual or potential, or the
injury, is negligible. The margin of dumping shall be considered
to be de minimis if this margin
is less than 2 per cent, expressed as a percentage of the export price.
The volume of dumped imports shall
normally be regarded as negligible if the volume of dumped imports
from a particular country is found to
account for less than 3 per cent of imports of the like product
in the importing Member, unless
countries which individually account for less than 3 per cent of the
imports of the like product in the
importing Member collectively account for more than 7 per cent of
imports of the like product in the
importing Member.
5.9 An anti-dumping proceeding shall
not hinder the procedures of customs clearance.
5.10 Investigations shall, except in
special circumstances, be concluded within one year, and in no
case more than 18 months, after their
initiation.
Article 6
Evidence
6.1 All interested parties in an
anti-dumping investigation shall be given notice of the information
which the authorities require and ample
opportunity to present in writing all evidence which they consider
relevant in respect of the
investigation in question.
14Members
are aware that in the territory of certain Members employees of domestic
producers of the like product or
representatives of those employees may
make or support an application for an investigation under paragraph 1.
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6.1.1 Exporters or foreign producers
receiving questionnaires used in an anti-dumping
investigation shall be given at least
30 days for reply.15 Due
consideration should be
given to any request for an extension
of the 30-day period and, upon cause shown,
such an extension should be granted
whenever practicable.
6.1.2 Subject to the requirement to
protect confidential information, evidence presented in
writing by one interested party shall
be made available promptly to other interested
parties participating in the
investigation.
6.1.3 As soon as an investigation has
been initiated, the authorities shall provide the full text
of the written application received
under paragraph 1 of Article 5 to the known
exporters16 and to the authorities of the exporting Member and shall make it
available,
upon request, to other interested
parties involved. Due regard shall be paid to the
requirement for the protection of
confidential information, as provided for in paragraph 5.
6.2 Throughout the anti-dumping
investigation all interested parties shall have a full opportunity
for the defence of their interests. To
this end, the authorities shall, on request, provide opportunities
for all interested parties to meet
those parties with adverse interests, so that opposing views may be
presented and rebuttal arguments
offered. Provision of such opportunities must take account of the
need to preserve confidentiality and of
the convenience to the parties. There shall be no obligation
on any party to attend a meeting, and
failure to do so shall not be prejudicial to that party's case.
Interested parties shall also have the
right, on justification, to present other information orally.
6.3 Oral information provided under
paragraph 2 shall be taken into account by the authorities only
in so far as it is subsequently
reproduced in writing and made available to other interested parties, as
provided for in subparagraph 1.2.
6.4 The authorities shall whenever
practicable provide timely opportunities for all interested parties
to see all information that is relevant
to the presentation of their cases, that is not confidential as defined
in paragraph 5, and that is used by the
authorities in an anti-dumping investigation, and to prepare
presentations on the basis of this
information.
6.5 Any information which is by nature
confidential (for example, because its disclosure would
be of significant competitive advantage
to a competitor or because its disclosure would have a
significantly adverse effect upon a
person supplying the information or upon a person from whom that
person acquired the information), or
which is provided on a confidential basis by parties to an
investigation shall, upon good cause
shown, be treated as such by the authorities. Such information
shall not be disclosed without specific
permission of the party submitting it.17
6.5.1 The authorities shall require
interested parties providing confidential information to
15As a
general rule, the time-limit for exporters shall be counted from the date of
receipt of the questionnaire, which for
this purpose shall be deemed to have
been received one week from the date on which it was sent to the respondent or
transmitted
to the appropriate diplomatic
representative of the exporting Member or, in the case of a separate customs
territory Member
of the WTO, an official representative
of the exporting territory.
16It
being understood that, where the number of exporters involved is particularly
high, the full text of the written application
should instead be provided only to the
authorities of the exporting Member or to the relevant trade association.
17Members
are aware that in the territory of certain Members disclosure pursuant to a
narrowly-drawn protective order
may be required.
Page 154
furnish non-confidential summaries
thereof. These summaries shall be in sufficient
detail to permit a reasonable
understanding of the substance of the information submitted
in confidence. In exceptional
circumstances, such parties may indicate that such
information is not susceptible of
summary. In such exceptional circumstances, a
statement of the reasons why
summarization is not possible must be provided.
6.5.2 If the authorities find that a
request for confidentiality is not warranted and if the
supplier of the information is either
unwilling to make the information public or to
authorize its disclosure in generalized
or summary form, the authorities may disregard
such information unless it can be
demonstrated to their satisfaction from appropriate
sources that the information is
correct.18
6.6 Except in circumstances provided
for in paragraph 8, the authorities shall during the course
of an investigation satisfy themselves
as to the accuracy of the information supplied by interested parties
upon which their findings are based.
6.7 In order to verify information
provided or to obtain further details, the authorities may carry
out investigations in the territory of
other Members as required, provided they obtain the agreement
of the firms concerned and notify the
representatives of the government of the Member in question,
and unless that Member objects to the
investigation. The procedures described in Annex I shall apply
to investigations carried out in the
territory of other Members. Subject to the requirement to protect
confidential information, the
authorities shall make the results of any such investigations available,
or shall provide disclosure thereof
pursuant to paragraph 9, to the firms to which they pertain and may
make such results available to the
applicants.
6.8 In cases in which any interested
party refuses access to, or otherwise does not provide, necessary
information within a reasonable period
or significantly impedes the investigation, preliminary and final
determinations, affirmative or
negative, may be made on the basis of the facts available. The provisions
of Annex II shall be observed in the
application of this paragraph.
6.9 The authorities shall, before a
final determination is made, inform all interested parties of the
essential facts under consideration
which form the basis for the decision whether to apply definitive
measures. Such disclosure should take
place in sufficient time for the parties to defend their interests.
6.10 The authorities shall, as a rule,
determine an individual margin of dumping for each known
exporter or producer concerned of the
product under investigation. In cases where the number of
exporters, producers, importers or
types of products involved is so large as to make such a determination
impracticable, the authorities may
limit their examination either to a reasonable number of interested
parties or products by using samples
which are statistically valid on the basis of information available
to the authorities at the time of the
selection, or to the largest percentage of the volume of the exports
from the country in question which can
reasonably be investigated.
6.10.1 Any selection of exporters,
producers, importers or types of products made under this
paragraph shall preferably be chosen in
consultation with and with the consent of the
exporters, producers or importers
concerned.
6.10.2 In cases where the authorities
have limited their examination, as provided for in this
paragraph, they shall nevertheless
determine an individual margin of dumping for any
18Members
agree that requests for confidentiality should not be arbitrarily rejected.
Page 155
exporter or producer not initially
selected who submits the necessary information in
time for that information to be
considered during the course of the investigation, except
where the number of exporters or
producers is so large that individual examinations
would be unduly burdensome to the
authorities and prevent the timely completion of
the investigation. Voluntary responses
shall not be discouraged.
6.11 For the purposes of this
Agreement, "interested parties" shall include:
(i) an exporter or foreign producer or
the importer of a product subject to investigation,
or a trade or business association a
majority of the members of which are producers,
exporters or importers of such product;
(ii) the government of the exporting
Member; and
(iii) a producer of the like product in
the importing Member or a trade and business
association a majority of the members
of which produce the like product in the territory
of the importing Member.
This list shall not preclude Members
from allowing domestic or foreign parties other than those mentioned
above to be included as interested
parties.
6.12 The authorities shall provide
opportunities for industrial users of the product under investigation,
and for representative consumer
organizations in cases where the product is commonly sold at the retail
level, to provide information which is
relevant to the investigation regarding dumping, injury and
causality.
6.13 The authorities shall take due
account of any difficulties experienced by interested parties, in
particular small companies, in
supplying information requested, and shall provide any assistance
practicable.
6.14 The procedures set out above are
not intended to prevent the authorities of a Member from
proceeding expeditiously with regard to
initiating an investigation, reaching preliminary or final
determinations, whether affirmative or
negative, or from applying provisional or final measures, in
accordance with relevant provisions of
this Agreement.
Article 7
Provisional Measures
7.1 Provisional measures may be applied
only if:
(i) an investigation has been initiated
in accordance with the provisions of Article 5, a
public notice has been given to that
effect and interested parties have been given
adequate opportunities to submit
information and make comments;
(ii) a preliminary affirmative
determination has been made of dumping and consequent
injury to a domestic industry; and
(iii) the authorities concerned judge
such measures necessary to prevent injury being caused
Page 156
during the investigation.
7.2 Provisional measures may take the
form of a provisional duty or, preferably, a security - by
cash deposit or bond - equal to the
amount of the anti-dumping duty provisionally estimated, being
not greater than the provisionally
estimated margin of dumping. Withholding of appraisement is an
appropriate provisional measure,
provided that the normal duty and the estimated amount of the
anti-dumping duty be indicated and as
long as the withholding of appraisement is subject to the same
conditions as other provisional
measures.
7.3 Provisional measures shall not be
applied sooner than 60 days from the date of initiation of
the investigation.
7.4 The application of provisional
measures shall be limited to as short a period as possible, not
exceeding four months or, on decision
of the authorities concerned, upon request by exporters representing
a significant percentage of the trade
involved, to a period not exceeding six months. When authorities,
in the course of an investigation,
examine whether a duty lower than the margin of dumping would
be sufficient to remove injury, these
periods may be six and nine months, respectively.
7.5 The relevant provisions of Article
9 shall be followed in the application of provisional measures.
Article 8
Price Undertakings
8.1 Proceedings may19 be suspended or terminated without the imposition of
provisional measures
or anti-dumping duties upon receipt of
satisfactory voluntary undertakings from any exporter to revise
its prices or to cease exports to the
area in question at dumped prices so that the authorities are satisfied
that the injurious effect of the
dumping is eliminated. Price increases under such undertakings shall
not be higher than necessary to
eliminate the margin of dumping. It is desirable that the price increases
be less than the margin of dumping if
such increases would be adequate to remove the injury to the
domestic industry.
8.2 Price undertakings shall not be
sought or accepted from exporters unless the authorities of the
importing Member have made a
preliminary affirmative determination of dumping and injury caused
by such dumping.
8.3 Undertakings offered need not be
accepted if the authorities consider their acceptance impractical,
for example, if the number of actual or
potential exporters is too great, or for other reasons, including
reasons of general policy. Should the
case arise and where practicable, the authorities shall provide
to the exporter the reasons which have
led them to consider acceptance of an undertaking as inappropriate,
and shall, to the extent possible, give
the exporter an opportunity to make comments thereon.
8.4 If an undertaking is accepted, the
investigation of dumping and injury shall nevertheless be
completed if the exporter so desires or
the authorities so decide. In such a case, if a negative
determination of dumping or injury is
made, the undertaking shall automatically lapse, except in cases
where such a determination is due in
large part to the existence of a price undertaking. In such cases,
19The
word "may" shall not be interpreted to allow the simultaneous
continuation of proceedings with the implementation
of price undertakings except as
provided in paragraph 4.
Page 157
the authorities may require that an
undertaking be maintained for a reasonable period consistent with
the provisions of this Agreement. In
the event that an affirmative determination of dumping and injury
is made, the undertaking shall continue
consistent with its terms and the provisions of this Agreement.
8.5 Price undertakings may be suggested
by the authorities of the importing Member, but no exporter
shall be forced to enter into such
undertakings. The fact that exporters do not offer such undertakings,
or do not accept an invitation to do
so, shall in no way prejudice the consideration of the case. However,
the authorities are free to determine
that a threat of injury is more likely to be realized if the dumped
imports continue.
8.6 Authorities of an importing Member
may require any exporter from whom an undertaking has
been accepted to provide periodically
information relevant to the fulfilment of such an undertaking
and to permit verification of pertinent
data. In case of violation of an undertaking, the authorities of
the importing Member may take, under
this Agreement in conformity with its provisions, expeditious
actions which may constitute immediate
application of provisional measures using the best information
available. In such cases, definitive
duties may be levied in accordance with this Agreement on products
entered for consumption not more than
90 days before the application of such provisional measures,
except that any such retroactive
assessment shall not apply to imports entered before the violation of
the undertaking.
Article 9
Imposition and Collection
of Anti-Dumping Duties
9.1 The decision whether or not to
impose an anti-dumping duty in cases where all requirements
for the imposition have been fulfilled,
and the decision whether the amount of the anti-dumping duty
to be imposed shall be the full margin
of dumping or less, are decisions to be made by the authorities
of the importing Member. It is
desirable that the imposition be permissive in the territory of all Members,
and that the duty be less than the
margin if such lesser duty would be adequate to remove the injury
to the domestic industry.
9.2 When an anti-dumping duty is
imposed in respect of any product, such anti-dumping duty shall
be collected in the appropriate amounts
in each case, on a non-discriminatory basis on imports of such
product from all sources found to be
dumped and causing injury, except as to imports from those sources
from which price undertakings under the
terms of this Agreement have been accepted. The authorities
shall name the supplier or suppliers of
the product concerned. If, however, several suppliers from the
same country are involved, and it is
impracticable to name all these suppliers, the authorities may name
the supplying country concerned. If
several suppliers from more than one country are involved, the
authorities may name either all the
suppliers involved, or, if this is impracticable, all the supplying
countries involved.
9.3 The amount of the anti-dumping duty
shall not exceed the margin of dumping as established
under Article 2.
9.3.1 When the amount of the
anti-dumping duty is assessed on a retrospective basis, the
determination of the final liability
for payment of anti-dumping duties shall take place
as soon as possible, normally within 12
months, and in no case more than 18 months,
after the date on which a request for a
final assessment of the amount of the
Page 158
anti-dumping duty has been made.20 Any refund shall be made promptly and normally
in not more than 90 days following the
determination of final liability made pursuant
to this sub-paragraph. In any case,
where a refund is not made within 90 days, the
authorities shall provide an
explanation if so requested.
9.3.2 When the amount of the
anti-dumping duty is assessed on a prospective basis, provision
shall be made for a prompt refund, upon
request, of any duty paid in excess of the
margin of dumping. A refund of any such
duty paid in excess of the actual margin
of dumping shall normally take place
within 12 months, and in no case more than
18 months, after the date on which a request
for a refund, duly supported by evidence,
has been made by an importer of the
product subject to the anti-dumping duty. The
refund authorized should normally be
made within 90 days of the above-noted decision.
9.3.3 In determining whether and to what
extent a reimbursement should be made when the
export price is constructed in
accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 2, authorities should
take account of any change in normal
value, any change in costs incurred between
importation and resale, and any movement
in the resale price which is duly reflected
in subsequent selling prices, and
should calculate the export price with no deduction
for the amount of anti-dumping duties
paid when conclusive evidence of the above
is provided.
9.4 When the authorities have limited
their examination in accordance with the second sentence
of paragraph 10 of Article 6, any
anti-dumping duty applied to imports from exporters or producers
not included in the examination shall
not exceed:
(i) the weighted average margin of dumping
established with respect to the selected
exporters or producers or,
(ii) where the liability for payment of
anti-dumping duties is calculated on the basis of
a prospective normal value, the
difference between the weighted average normal value
of the selected exporters or producers
and the export prices of exporters or producers
not individually examined,
provided that the authorities shall
disregard for the purpose of this paragraph any zero and de minimis
margins and margins established under
the circumstances referred to in paragraph 8 of Article 6. The
authorities shall apply individual
duties or normal values to imports from any exporter or producer
not included in the examination who has
provided the necessary information during the course of the
investigation, as provided for in
subparagraph 10.2 of Article 6.
9.5 If a product is subject to
anti-dumping duties in an importing Member, the authorities shall
promptly carry out a review for the
purpose of determining individual margins of dumping for any
exporters or producers in the exporting
country in question who have not exported the product to the
importing Member during the period of
investigation, provided that these exporters or producers can
show that they are not related to any
of the exporters or producers in the exporting country who are
subject to the anti-dumping duties on
the product. Such a review shall be initiated and carried out on
an accelerated basis, compared to
normal duty assessment and review proceedings in the importing
Member. No anti-dumping duties shall be
levied on imports from such exporters or producers while
20It
is understood that the observance of the time-limits mentioned in this
subparagraph and in subparagraph 3.2 may not
be possible where the product in
question is subject to judicial review proceedings.
Page 159
the review is being carried out. The
authorities may, however, withhold appraisement and/or request
guarantees to ensure that, should such
a review result in a determination of dumping in respect of such
producers or exporters, anti-dumping
duties can be levied retroactively to the date of the initiation of
the review.
Article 10
Retroactivity
10.1 Provisional measures and
anti-dumping duties shall only be applied to products which enter
for consumption after the time when the
decision taken under paragraph 1 of Article 7 and paragraph 1
of Article 9, respectively, enters into
force, subject to the exceptions set out in this Article.
10.2 Where a final determination of
injury (but not of a threat thereof or of a material retardation
of the establishment of an industry) is
made or, in the case of a final determination of a threat of injury,
where the effect of the dumped imports
would, in the absence of the provisional measures, have led
to a determination of injury,
anti-dumping duties may be levied retroactively for the period for which
provisional measures, if any, have been
applied.
10.3 If the definitive anti-dumping
duty is higher than the provisional duty paid or payable, or the
amount estimated for the purpose of the
security, the difference shall not be collected. If the definitive
duty is lower than the provisional duty
paid or payable, or the amount estimated for the purpose of
the security, the difference shall be
reimbursed or the duty recalculated, as the case may be.
10.4 Except as provided in paragraph 2,
where a determination of threat of injury or material
retardation is made (but no injury has
yet occurred) a definitive anti-dumping duty may be imposed
only from the date of the determination
of threat of injury or material retardation, and any cash deposit
made during the period of the
application of provisional measures shall be refunded and any bonds
released in an expeditious manner.
10.5 Where a final determination is
negative, any cash deposit made during the period of the
application of provisional measures
shall be refunded and any bonds released in an expeditious manner.
10.6 A definitive anti-dumping duty may
be levied on products which were entered for consumption
not more than 90 days prior to the date
of application of provisional measures, when the authorities
determine for the dumped product in
question that:
(i) there is a history of dumping which
caused injury or that the importer was, or should
have been, aware that the exporter practises
dumping and that such dumping would
cause injury, and
(ii) the injury is caused by massive
dumped imports of a product in a relatively short time
which in light of the timing and the
volume of the dumped imports and other
circumstances (such as a rapid build-up
of inventories of the imported product) is likely
to seriously undermine the remedial
effect of the definitive anti-dumping duty to be
applied, provided that the importers
concerned have been given an opportunity to
comment.
10.7 The authorities may, after
initiating an investigation, take such measures as the withholding
Page 160
of appraisement or assessment as may be
necessary to collect anti-dumping duties retroactively, as
provided for in paragraph 6, once they
have sufficient evidence that the conditions set forth in that
paragraph are satisfied.
10.8 No duties shall be levied
retroactively pursuant to paragraph 6 on products entered for
consumption prior to the date of
initiation of the investigation.
Article 11
Duration and Review of Anti-Dumping
Duties and Price Undertakings
11.1 An anti-dumping duty shall remain
in force only as long as and to the extent necessary to
counteract dumping which is causing
injury.
11.2 The authorities shall review the
need for the continued imposition of the duty, where warranted,
on their own initiative or, provided
that a reasonable period of time has elapsed since the imposition
of the definitive anti-dumping duty,
upon request by any interested party which submits positive
information substantiating the need for
a review.21 Interested parties shall
have the right to request
the authorities to examine whether the
continued imposition of the duty is necessary to offset dumping,
whether the injury would be likely to
continue or recur if the duty were removed or varied, or both.
If, as a result of the review under
this paragraph, the authorities determine that the anti-dumping duty
is no longer warranted, it shall be
terminated immediately.
11.3 Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraphs 1 and 2, any definitive anti-dumping duty shall
be terminated on a date not later than
five years from its imposition (or from the date of the most recent
review under paragraph 2 if that review
has covered both dumping and injury, or under this paragraph),
unless the authorities determine, in a
review initiated before that date on their own initiative or upon
a duly substantiated request made by or
on behalf of the domestic industry within a reasonable period
21A
determination of final liability for payment of anti-dumping duties, as
provided for in paragraph 3 of Article 9, does
not by itself constitute a review
within the meaning of this Article.
Page 161
of time prior to that date, that the
expiry of the duty would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence
of dumping and injury.22 The duty may remain in force pending the outcome of such
a review.
11.4 The provisions of Article 6
regarding evidence and procedure shall apply to any review carried
out under this Article. Any such review
shall be carried out expeditiously and shall normally be
concluded within 12 months of the date
of initiation of the review.
11.5 The provisions of this Article
shall apply mutatis mutandis to price undertakings accepted under
Article 8.
Article 12
Public Notice and
Explanation of Determinations
12.1 When the authorities are satisfied
that there is sufficient evidence to justify the initiation of
an anti-dumping investigation pursuant
to Article 5, the Member or Members the products of which
are subject to such investigation and
other interested parties known to the investigating authorities to
have an interest therein shall be
notified and a public notice shall be given.
12.1.1 A public notice of the
initiation of an investigation shall contain, or otherwise make
available through a separate report23, adequate information on the following:
(i) the name of the exporting country
or countries and the product involved;
(ii) the date of initiation of the
investigation;
(iii) the basis on which dumping is
alleged in the application;
(iv) a summary of the factors on which
the allegation of injury is based;
(v) the address to which
representations by interested parties should be directed;
(vi) the time-limits allowed to
interested parties for making their views known.
12.2 Public notice shall be given of
any preliminary or final determination, whether affirmative or
negative, of any decision to accept an
undertaking pursuant to Article 8, of the termination of such
an undertaking, and of the termination
of a definitive anti-dumping duty. Each such notice shall set
forth, or otherwise make available
through a separate report, in sufficient detail the findings and
conclusions reached on all issues of
fact and law considered material by the investigating authorities.
All such notices and reports shall be forwarded
to the Member or Members the products of which are
subject to such determination or
undertaking and to other interested parties known to have an interest
therein.
22When
the amount of the anti-dumping duty is assessed on a retrospective basis, a finding
in the most recent assessment
proceeding under subparagraph 3.1 of
Article 9 that no duty is to be levied shall not by itself require the
authorities to terminate
the definitive duty.
23Where
authorities provide information and explanations under the provisions of this
Article in a separate report, they
shall ensure that such report is
readily available to the public.
Page 162
12.2.1 A public notice of the
imposition of provisional measures shall set forth, or otherwise
make available through a separate
report, sufficiently detailed explanations for the
preliminary determinations on dumping
and injury and shall refer to the matters of fact
and law which have led to arguments
being accepted or rejected. Such a notice or
report shall, due regard being paid to
the requirement for the protection of confidential
information, contain in particular:
(i) the names of the suppliers, or when
this is impracticable, the supplying countries
involved;
(ii) a description of the product which
is sufficient for customs purposes;
(iii) the margins of dumping
established and a full explanation of the reasons for
the methodology used in the
establishment and comparison of the export price
and the normal value under Article 2;
(iv) considerations relevant to the
injury determination as set out in Article 3;
(v) the main reasons leading to the
determination.
12.2.2 A public notice of conclusion or
suspension of an investigation in the case of an
affirmative determination providing for
the imposition of a definitive duty or the
acceptance of a price undertaking shall
contain, or otherwise make available through
a separate report, all relevant
information on the matters of fact and law and reasons
which have led to the imposition of
final measures or the acceptance of a price
undertaking, due regard being paid to
the requirement for the protection of confidential
information. In particular, the notice
or report shall contain the information described
in subparagraph 2.1, as well as the
reasons for the acceptance or rejection of relevant
arguments or claims made by the
exporters and importers, and the basis for any decision
made under subparagraph 10.2 of Article
6.
12.2.3 A public notice of the
termination or suspension of an investigation following the
acceptance of an undertaking pursuant
to Article 8 shall include, or otherwise make
available through a separate report,
the non-confidential part of this undertaking.
12.3 The provisions of this Article
shall apply mutatis mutandis to the initiation and completion
of reviews pursuant to Article 11 and
to decisions under Article 10 to apply duties retroactively.
Article 13
Judicial Review
Each Member whose national legislation
contains provisions on anti-dumping measures shall
maintain judicial, arbitral or
administrative tribunals or procedures for the purpose, inter alia, of
the
prompt review of administrative actions
relating to final determinations and reviews of determinations
within the meaning of Article 11. Such
tribunals or procedures shall be independent of the authorities
responsible for the determination or
review in question.
Page 163
Article 14
Anti-Dumping Action on
Behalf of a Third Country
14.1 An application for anti-dumping
action on behalf of a third country shall be made by the
authorities of the third country requesting
action.
14.2 Such an application shall be
supported by price information to show that the imports are being
dumped and by detailed information to
show that the alleged dumping is causing injury to the domestic
industry concerned in the third country.
The government of the third country shall afford all assistance
to the authorities of the importing
country to obtain any further information which the latter may require.
14.3 In considering such an
application, the authorities of the importing country shall consider the
effects of the alleged dumping on the
industry concerned as a whole in the third country; that is to
say, the injury shall not be assessed
in relation only to the effect of the alleged dumping on the industry's
exports to the importing country or
even on the industry's total exports.
14.4 The decision whether or not to
proceed with a case shall rest with the importing country. If
the importing country decides that it
is prepared to take action, the initiation of the approach to the
Council for Trade in Goods seeking its
approval for such action shall rest with the importing country.
Article 15
Developing Country Members
It is recognized that special regard
must be given by developed country Members to the special
situation of developing country Members
when considering the application of anti-dumping measures
under this Agreement. Possibilities of
constructive remedies provided for by this Agreement shall be
explored before applying anti-dumping
duties where they would affect the essential interests of developing
country Members.
PART II
Article 16
Committee on Anti-Dumping
Practices
16.1 There is hereby established a
Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices (referred to in this Agreement
as the "Committee") composed
of representatives from each of the Members. The Committee shall
elect its own Chairman and shall meet
not less than twice a year and otherwise as envisaged by relevant
provisions of this Agreement at the
request of any Member. The Committee shall carry out
responsibilities as assigned to it
under this Agreement or by the Members and it shall afford Members
the opportunity of consulting on any
matters relating to the operation of the Agreement or the furtherance
of its objectives. The WTO Secretariat
shall act as the secretariat to the Committee.
16.2 The Committee may set up
subsidiary bodies as appropriate.
Page 164
16.3 In carrying out their functions,
the Committee and any subsidiary bodies may consult with and
seek information from any source they
deem appropriate. However, before the Committee or a subsidiary
body seeks such information from a
source within the jurisdiction of a Member, it shall inform the
Member involved. It shall obtain the
consent of the Member and any firm to be consulted.
16.4 Members shall report without delay
to the Committee all preliminary or final anti-dumping
actions taken. Such reports shall be
available in the Secretariat for inspection by other Members.
Members shall also submit, on a
semi-annual basis, reports of any anti-dumping actions taken within
the preceding six months. The
semi-annual reports shall be submitted on an agreed standard form.
16.5 Each Member shall notify the
Committee (a) which of its authorities are competent to initiate
and conduct investigations referred to
in Article 5 and (b) its domestic procedures governing the initiation
and conduct of such investigations.
Article 17
Consultation and Dispute
Settlement
17.1 Except as otherwise provided
herein, the Dispute Settlement Understanding is applicable to
consultations and the settlement of
disputes under this Agreement.
17.2 Each Member shall afford
sympathetic consideration to, and shall afford adequate opportunity
for consultation regarding,
representations made by another Member with respect to any matter affecting
the operation of this Agreement.
17.3 If any Member considers that any
benefit accruing to it, directly or indirectly, under this
Agreement is being nullified or
impaired, or that the achievement of any objective is being impeded,
by another Member or Members, it may, with
a view to reaching a mutually satisfactory resolution
of the matter, request in writing
consultations with the Member or Members in question. Each Member
shall afford sympathetic consideration
to any request from another Member for consultation.
17.4 If the Member that requested
consultations considers that the consultations pursuant to paragraph 3
have failed to achieve a mutually
agreed solution, and if final action has been taken by the administering
authorities of the importing Member to
levy definitive anti-dumping duties or to accept price undertakings,
it may refer the matter to the Dispute
Settlement Body ("DSB"). When a provisional measure has
a significant impact and the Member
that requested consultations considers that the measure was taken
contrary to the provisions of paragraph
1 of Article 7, that Member may also refer such matter to the
DSB.
17.5 The DSB shall, at the request of
the complaining party, establish a panel to examine the matter
based upon:
(i) a written statement of the Member
making the request indicating how a benefit accruing
to it, directly or indirectly, under
this Agreement has been nullified or impaired, or
that the achieving of the objectives of
the Agreement is being impeded, and
(ii) the facts made available in conformity
with appropriate domestic procedures to the
authorities of the importing Member.
Page 165
17.6 In examining the matter referred
to in paragraph 5:
(i) in its assessment of the facts of
the matter, the panel shall determine whether the
authorities' establishment of the facts
was proper and whether their evaluation of those
facts was unbiased and objective. If
the establishment of the facts was proper and the
evaluation was unbiased and objective,
even though the panel might have reached a
different conclusion, the evaluation
shall not be overturned;
(ii) the panel shall interpret the
relevant provisions of the Agreement in accordance with
customary rules of interpretation of
public international law. Where the panel finds
that a relevant provision of the
Agreement admits of more than one permissible
interpretation, the panel shall find
the authorities' measure to be in conformity with
the Agreement if it rests upon one of
those permissible interpretations.
17.7 Confidential information provided
to the panel shall not be disclosed without formal authorization
from the person, body or authority
providing such information. Where such information is requested
from the panel but release of such
information by the panel is not authorized, a non-confidential summary
of the information, authorized by the
person, body or authority providing the information, shall be
provided.
PART III
Article 18
Final Provisions
18.1 No specific action against dumping
of exports from another Member can be taken except in
accordance with the provisions of GATT
1994, as interpreted by this Agreement.24
18.2 Reservations may not be entered in
respect of any of the provisions of this Agreement without
the consent of the other Members.
18.3 Subject to subparagraphs 3.1 and
3.2, the provisions of this Agreement shall apply to
investigations, and reviews of existing
measures, initiated pursuant to applications which have been
made on or after the date of entry into
force for a Member of the WTO Agreement.
18.3.1 With respect to the calculation
of margins of dumping in refund procedures under
paragraph 3 of Article 9, the rules
used in the most recent determination or review of
dumping shall apply.
18.3.2 For the purposes of paragraph 3
of Article 11, existing anti-dumping measures shall
be deemed to be imposed on a date not
later than the date of entry into force for a
Member of the WTO Agreement, except in
cases in which the domestic legislation
of a Member in force on that date
already included a clause of the type provided for
in that paragraph.
24This
is not intended to preclude action under other relevant provisions of GATT
1994, as appropriate.
Page 166
18.4 Each Member shall take all
necessary steps, of a general or particular character, to ensure, not
later than the date of entry into force
of the WTO Agreement for it, the conformity of its laws, regulations
and administrative procedures with the
provisions of this Agreement as they may apply for the Member
in question.
18.5 Each Member shall inform the
Committee of any changes in its laws and regulations relevant
to this Agreement and in the
administration of such laws and regulations.
18.6 The Committee shall review
annually the implementation and operation of this Agreement taking
into account the objectives thereof.
The Committee shall inform annually the Council for Trade in
Goods of developments during the period
covered by such reviews.
18.7 The Annexes to this Agreement
constitute an integral part thereof.
Page 167
ANNEX I
PROCEDURES FOR ON-THE-SPOT
INVESTIGATIONS PURSUANT
TO PARAGRAPH 7 OF ARTICLE 6
1. Upon initiation of an investigation,
the authorities of the exporting Member and the firms known
to be concerned should be informed of
the intention to carry out on-the-spot investigations.
2. If in exceptional circumstances it
is intended to include non-governmental experts in the
investigating team, the firms and the
authorities of the exporting Member should be so informed. Such
non-governmental experts should be
subject to effective sanctions for breach of confidentiality
requirements.
3. It should be standard practice to
obtain explicit agreement of the firms concerned in the exporting
Member before the visit is finally
scheduled.
4. As soon as the agreement of the
firms concerned has been obtained, the investigating authorities
should notify the authorities of the
exporting Member of the names and addresses of the firms to be
visited and the dates agreed.
5. Sufficient advance notice should be
given to the firms in question before the visit is made.
6. Visits to explain the questionnaire
should only be made at the request of an exporting firm.
Such a visit may only be made if (a)
the authorities of the importing Member notify the representatives
of the Member in question and (b) the
latter do not object to the visit.
7. As the main purpose of the
on-the-spot investigation is to verify information provided or to
obtain further details, it should be
carried out after the response to the questionnaire has been received
unless the firm agrees to the contrary
and the government of the exporting Member is informed by
the investigating authorities of the
anticipated visit and does not object to it; further, it should be standard
practice prior to the visit to advise
the firms concerned of the general nature of the information to be
verified and of any further information
which needs to be provided, though this should not preclude
requests to be made on the spot for
further details to be provided in the light of information obtained.
8. Enquiries or questions put by the
authorities or firms of the exporting Members and essential
to a successful on-the-spot
investigation should, whenever possible, be answered before the visit is made.
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ANNEX II
BEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF
PARAGRAPH 8 OF ARTICLE 6
1. As soon as possible after the
initiation of the investigation, the investigating authorities should
specify in detail the information
required from any interested party, and the manner in which that
information should be structured by the
interested party in its response. The authorities should also
ensure that the party is aware that if
information is not supplied within a reasonable time, the authorities
will be free to make determinations on
the basis of the facts available, including those contained in
the application for the initiation of
the investigation by the domestic industry.
2. The authorities may also request
that an interested party provide its response in a particular
medium (e.g. computer tape) or computer
language. Where such a request is made, the authorities
should consider the reasonable ability
of the interested party to respond in the preferred medium or
computer language, and should not
request the party to use for its response a computer system other
than that used by the party. The
authority should not maintain a request for a computerized response
if the interested party does not
maintain computerized accounts and if presenting the response as requested
would result in an unreasonable extra
burden on the interested party, e.g. it would entail unreasonable
additional cost and trouble. The
authorities should not maintain a request for a response in a particular
medium or computer language if the
interested party does not maintain its computerized accounts in
such medium or computer language and if
presenting the response as requested would result in an
unreasonable extra burden on the
interested party, e.g. it would entail unreasonable additional cost and
trouble.
3. All information which is verifiable,
which is appropriately submitted so that it can be used
in the investigation without undue
difficulties, which is supplied in a timely fashion, and, where
applicable, which is supplied in a
medium or computer language requested by the authorities, should
be taken into account when
determinations are made. If a party does not respond in the preferred medium
or computer language but the
authorities find that the circumstances set out in paragraph 2 have been
satisfied, the failure to respond in
the preferred medium or computer language should not be considered
to significantly impede the
investigation.
4. Where the authorities do not have
the ability to process information if provided in a particular
medium (e.g. computer tape), the
information should be supplied in the form of written material or
any other form acceptable to the
authorities.
5. Even though the information provided
may not be ideal in all respects, this should not justify
the authorities from disregarding it,
provided the interested party has acted to the best of its ability.
6. If evidence or information is not
accepted, the supplying party should be informed forthwith
of the reasons therefor, and should
have an opportunity to provide further explanations within a
reasonable period, due account being
taken of the time-limits of the investigation. If the explanations
are considered by the authorities as
not being satisfactory, the reasons for the rejection of such evidence
or information should be given in any
published determinations.
7. If the authorities have to base
their findings, including those with respect to normal value, on
information from a secondary source,
including the information supplied in the application for the
initiation of the investigation, they
should do so with special circumspection. In such cases, the authorities
should, where practicable, check the
information from other independent sources at their disposal, such
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as published price lists, official
import statistics and customs returns, and from the information obtained
from other interested parties during
the investigation. It is clear, however, that if an interested party
does not cooperate and thus relevant
information is being withheld from the authorities, this situation
could lead to a result which is less
favourable to the party than if the party did cooperate.