G/SG/N/6/GTM/1  
9 September  2019 
(19-5746) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Safeguards  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OF THE AGREEMENT  ON SAFEGUARDS  
UPON INITIATION OF AN INVESTIGATION PROCESS  
AND THE REASONS FOR IT  
GUATEMALA  
(Flat-rolled products of other alloy steel, of a width of 600  mm or more ) 
The foll owing communication , dated 4 September  2019, is being circulated at the request of the 
delega tion of Guatemala.1 
 
_______________  
 
 
Guatemala hereby submits to the Committee on Safeguards the following notification under  
Article  12.1(a) of the Agreement on Safeguards  regarding  the initiation of an investigation process  
with a view to the application of a safeguard measure to imports of "flat-rolled products of other 
alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more ". 
 
1. DATE WHEN THE INVESTIGA TION  WAS INITIATED  
 
The investiga tion was initiated by Resolu tion 001209 of 27 August  2019. On the basis of 
Article  38 of the Central American  Regulations on Safeguards, the R esolution was required to 
be published in a national newspaper and in the Official Journal . The Resolution initiating the 
investigation  and the technical report  on which it is based  can be found at the following web 
address : 
 
https://www.mineco.gob.gt/casos -de-salvaguardias  
 
2. PRODUCT  UNDER  INVESTIGA TION  
 
The product under  investiga tion comes under the heading of " flat-rolled products of other alloy 
steel, of a width of 600 mm or more " (tariff subheadings 7225.91.00, 7225.92.00 
and 7225.99.00 of the Harmonized System  (HS)). The product enters the country under the 
aforementioned HS codes.  
 
3. REASONS FOR INITIATI ON OF  THE INVESTIGA TION  
 
The investiga tion is being initiated at the application  of Ternium Internacional Guatemala  S.A., 
a company  represent ing the domestic producers  of like products, pursuant to the provisions 
of Article XIX of the GATT 1994, the Agreement on Safeguards and the Cen tral Americ an 
Regulations on Safeguard Measures. This application  was supported by the two companies 
manufacturing  this product , which together  constitute the domestic industry, as can be seen 
in the respective file.  
 
For the purposes of initiati ng the investiga tion, consideration was given to the evidence 
supplied  by the applicant in  the form requesting initiation of the investigation and the 
                                                
1 An electronic copy of Resolution 001209 has been sent. To consult this document, please contact 
Ms. Anne Richards ( anne.richards@wto.org ) or Ms. Delphine Naville  (delphine.naville@wto.org ) of the 
Rules  Division.  G/SG/N/6/GTM/1  
- 2 - 
  accompanying documents , as well as the data collected by the investigating authority, which 
reflect  an increase  in imports of the product  under investigation , and the arguments set out 
by the applicant in the above -mentioned form concerning indications of serious injury  caused 
by the increase d imports.  
 
4. CONTACT  INFORMATION  
 
In the event of any concerns regarding the investigation process to which this notification 
refers , please contact the following persons at the Directorate for the A dministra tion of Foreign 
Trade at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Guatemala:  
 
Name E-mail Phone number  
Alexander Cutz Calderón  acutz@mineco.gob.gt  (502)  2412 0200 Ext. 4201  
Francisco Fernando Vásquez  fvasquez@mineco.gob.gt  (502) 2412 0337  
 
 All communication s relating to  any situation should be sent to both e -mail addresses. 
The contact phone  numbers  may be used between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Guatemala n time. 
 
5. DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES  
 
(i) Known i nterested  parties  
 
Interested parties have a period of 30 days from the date of notification of the Resolu tion to 
submit  written  statements  and any other evidence  they consider relevant. Within this 
deadline , duly identified interested parties must appear  in person  and indicate by what means 
they wish to receive notifications.  
 
Interested parties have a period of 45 days to submit replies to the questionnaires sent to 
them together with the Resolution initiati ng the investigation. This period begins on the day 
following  the notification  and can be extended by up to 30 days if considered appropriate by 
the investigating  authority.  
 
(ii) Interested parties to the investiga tion 
 
Anyone who considers  themselves  to be an interested  party to the investigation  has a period 
of 30 days from the date of publication of the Resolu tion initiati ng the investigation  in the 
Central American  Gazette  (Official Journal of Guatemala) to appear in person before the 
investigating  authority  of Guatemala to demonstrate  that they have a direct interest and that 
they meet the requirements to be considered as a party to the investiga tion. 
 
The cooperat ion of the governments of exporting Member s has been requested with regard to 
transfer ring information  on the initiation of this investigation and documents  relevant to their 
exporting companies so that they can appear in person and participate in the process as 
interested parties.  
 
(iii) Date of the intended public hearings  
 
Pursuant to  Article 24 of the Central American Regulations on Safeguard  Measures , during the 
investigation the investigating authority  will publish the dates of the hearings on its website : 
https://www.mineco.gob.gt/casos -de-salvaguardias . It will also  notify interested  parties  of 
these dates by e -mail. 
 
(iv) Period of the investiga tion 
 
Pursuant to  Article 16 of the Central American Regulations, the investigation must be 
concluded within a period of six months, except in exceptional circumstances  defined  by the 
investigating authority, in which case the investigation must be concluded within 12 months 
from the date of initiation.  
 
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