WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SG/N/6/POL/5
23 May 2003
(03-2785)
Committee on Safeguards Original:  English
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OF THE
AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS ON INITIATION OF
AN INVESTIGATION AND THE REASONS FOR IT
POLAND
The following communication, dated 16 May 2003, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Poland.
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Pursuant to Article 12.1(a) of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, Poland hereby notifies that
Polish Minister of Economy, Labour and Social Policy has decided to initiate a safeguard
investigation concerning imports of matches into the Polish customs territory.
1. Date of initiation of the investigation
7 May 2002.
2. Product subject to the investigation    
Matches, classified under tariff item 3605 00 00 0 of the Polish Harmonized Tariff.
3. Reasons for initiation of the investigation
(i) the investigation was initiated upon the application of the domestic industry which
contained prima facie  evidence of the injury caused to the domestic industry by the
increasing imports of product in question.
(ii) preliminary data concerning the investigation period (1999-2002) show among others
that:
(a) The volume of imports of matches in the investigation period amounted to:
- 44,688 kilograms in 1999,
- 255,558 kilograms in 2000,
- 510,009 kilograms in 2001,
- 1,078,826 kilograms in 2002.
(b) The share of imports in the domestic production during the investigation
period amounted to:
- 0.48 per cent in 1999,G/SG/N/6/POL/5
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- 2.99 per cent in 2000,
- 6.45 per cent in 2001,
- 15.80 per cent in 2002.
(c) The share of imports in the domestic consumption during the investigation
period amounted to:
- 0.54 per cent in 1999,
- 3.34 per cent in 2000,
- 7.08 per cent in 2001,
- 15.58 per cent in 2002.
(d) In the period of 2000 – 2002 the average prices of imported matches were
lower in comparison with the domestic ones.
(e) There was a steady fall of the volume of domestic production and sales:
• The volume of domestic production in the investigation period amounted
to:
- 9,220,500 kilograms in 1999,
- 8,555,000 kilograms in 2000,
- 7,908,000 kilograms in 2001,- 6,829,000 kilograms in 2002.
• The volume of domestic sales of the matches in the investigation period
amounted to:
- 8,193,426 kilograms in 1999,
- 7,397,315 kilograms in 2000,
- 6,706,666 kilograms in 2001,
- 5,845,929 kilograms in 2002.
(f) The share of the domestic sales in the domestic consumption decreased and
amounted to:
- 99.46 per cent in 1999,
- 96.66 per cent in 2000,
- 92.93 per cent in 2001,
- 84.42 per cent in 2002.
(g) The share of stocks in the production amounted to:
- 4.5 per cent in 1999,
- 4.6 per cent in 2000,
- 3.5 per cent in 2001,- 4.2 per cent in 2002.
(h) Overall employment in domestic industry of the product under investigation
decreased:
- in 1999 - 100*G/SG/N/6/POL/5
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- in 2000 - 91.2
- in 2001 - 100
- in 2002 - 94.5
* previous year = 100.
Number of employees in domestic industry of the product under investigation
directly involved in the manufacturing process of the product decreased:
- in 1999 - 100*
- in 2000 - 88.2
- in 2001 - 99.5- in 2002 - 90.4
* previous year = 100.
(i) The domestic industry due to an increasing drop in revenues has been
suffering losses.
4. Additional information
(i) The initiation of the investigation was published in the Official Journal – Monitor
Polski No. 23, item 338 of 7 May 2003, which also indicated that:
(ii) interested parties should declare their participation in the investigation within the
period of 30 days after its initiation;
(iii) interested parties may submit any background information or opinions concerning the
investigation;
(iv) interested parties may request a hearing in order to clarify all issues related to the
investigation;
(v) any additional information concerning the investigation may be obtained in the
Department of Trade Policy Instruments of the Ministry of Economy, Labour and
Social Policy (00-507 Warsaw, Żurawia 4a; phone +4822 693 5817, fax +4822 693
4018).
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