RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/ADP/AHG/W/81
29 March 2000
(00-1275)
Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices
Ad Hoc Group on ImplementationOriginal:  Spanish
PRACTICAL ISSUES AND EXPERIENCE WITH RESPECT TO
QUESTIONNAIRES AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
UNDER ARTICLES 6.1 AND 6.1.1
PRACTICAL ISSUES AND EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRIAL USERS AND
CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE
INFORMATION UNDER ARTICLE 6.12
Paper by Argentina
The following communication, dated 20 March 2000, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Argentina.
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PRACTICAL ISSUES AND EXPERIENCE WITH RESPECT TO QUESTIONNAIRES
AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER ARTICLES 6.1 AND 6.1.1
Article 6.1 of the Anti-Dumping Agreement provides that "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".  Accordingly, Article 6.1.1 requires that exporters receiving questionnaires
used in an anti-dumping investigation shall be given at least 30 days for reply.
The National Commission for Foreign Trade (CNCE) gathers information pertaining to the
investigation into the existence of injury or the threat of injury caused by dumped imports by means
of questionnaires sent to producers, importers and exporters, without prejudice to any information that
may be furnished by the parties who come forward spontaneously as a result of the public notice ofthe start of the investigation.
Once the producers, importers and exporters are identified, the CNCE invites them to
information meetings to explain the scope and content of the questionnaires, clarify any doubts they
may have and ask them certain questions.
The questionnaires are then sent to all known producing, importing and exporting enterprises.
In the case of investigations involving a very large number of enterprises, a sampling is done, both
with respect to producing and importing firms, be aring in mind their representativeness in production
or importation, as appropriate.  Likewise, when an enterprise comes forward spontaneously as a result
of the notification of the start of the investigation, it is also invited to the information meeting and
given the relevant questionnaire.G/ADP/AHG/W/81
Page 2
When the aforementioned questionnaires are being sent, the CNCE notifies the time-frame set
for reply – 30 working days – as well as the deadline for the receipt of the evidence the parties intend
to use for the preliminary stage of the investigation.  They are also notified that the information
submitted must be accompanied by the relevant supporting documents for the purposes of anysubsequent verification that may be made.
As regards the extensions requested for the submission of replies to the questionnaires,
generally speaking, an additional period of 10 to 15 days is granted depending on the complexity of
each investigation and in the light of the deadline set.
In general, the information requested in the questionnaires pertains to:"Questionnaire for the producer"
• Physical and technical features of the domestic product, production process,
marketing channels, uses and substitutability;
• production, domestic sales, exports, stocks, production capacity, prices, cost structure
of the domestic product.  Accounting statements and specific accounts;
• arguments demonstrating injury.
"Questionnaire for the importer"
• Physical and technical features of the im ported product, marketing channels, uses and
substitutability;
• imports, domestic sales, stocks, import cost structure and first sale prices of the
imported product.
"Questionnaire for the exporter"
• Physical and technical features of th e exported product and production process;
• production, domestic sales, exports to Argentina, exports to the rest of the world,
stocks and production capacity.
Once the replies have been received, the CNCE examines them to determine whether there
are inconsistencies, in which case the respective parties are requested to provide clarification.
If possible, the information supplied by the parties is cross-checked against information from
official sources (customs, statistical and census institutes, institutes of technology, etc.).
Without prejudice to the information supplied via the questionnaires, the interested parties
may furnish any additional information they may consider relevant during the course of the
investigation.G/ADP/AHG/W/81
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PRACTICAL ISSUES AND EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR INDUSTRIAL USERS AND CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS TO
PROVIDE INFORMATION UNDER ARTICLE 6.12
Article 6.12 of the Anti-Dumping Agreement states:  "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 so ld at the retail level, to provide information
which is relevant to the investigation regarding dumping, injury and causality".
As part of the investigation regarding the existence of injury or the threat thereof caused by
dumped imports, the National Commission for Foreign Trade (CNCE) gathers information by meansof surveys of users and/or consumers of the product in question, as may be appropriate to the
specificities of the case.
Generally speaking, in the "Surveys of users and/or consumers", information is requested
concerning:
• Annual consumption of the imported/domestic product;
• uses and substitutability;
• impact of the price of the imported/domestic product on the downstream production
cost of the product.
Subject to the above, users and consumers of the product in question, as interested parties,
may come forward spontaneously for the purposes of the investigation and submit any information
they may deem relevant or may refute the argument s put forward by the other parties and participate
in the CNCE public hearing if invited to do so.
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