G/SG/N/6/MAR/8  
17 June 2014  
(14-3508)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Safeguards  Original: French  
 
  NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OF THE AGREEMENT 
ON SAFEGUARDS ON INITIATI ON OF AN INVESTIGATION 
AND THE REASONS FOR IT 
MOROCCO  
(Imports of Cold-Rolled Sheets and Plated or Coated Sheets) 
The following communication, dated 17 June 2014, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Morocco. 
 
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Pursuant to Article 12.1(a) of the Agreement on  Safeguards and the new notification format 
adopted by the Committee on Safeguards at its meeting of 19 October 2009 (G/SG/1/Rev.1-
G/SG/N/6/Rev.1-G/SG/89 of 5 November 2009),  Morocco hereby submits its notification 
of initiation of an investigation relating to safeguard measures.  
Having examined the petition from the company Maghreb Steel, the Ministry of Foreign Trade has 
decided to initiate a safeguard investigation regarding imports of cold-rolled sheets and plated or coated sheets in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 15-09 on Trade Defence Measures and of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, as follows: 
 
1  DATE OF INITIATION OF THE INVESTIGATION 
 The Ministry of Foreign Trade decided to initiate the investigation on 11 June 2014; 
 An announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Trade was made available to the public 
on the Ministry's website (http://www.maroc- trade.gov.ma) and published in the daily 
newspapers Le Matin and Les Eco of 12 June 2014. 
2  PRECISE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT INVOLVED 
The products under investigation are cold-rolled sheets in coils or cut, and plated or coated sheets, 
all of which belong to the family of flat steel products.  
These products are imported under Morocco's harmonized system customs nomenclature: 
 Cold-rolled sheets are classified under tariff headings 7209, 7211 (with the exception of: 7211.13; 
7211.14; and 7211.19), 7225 and 7226. Plated or coated sheets fall under tariff headings 7210 
(with the exception of: 7210.11; 7210.12; 7210.90.21.00; 7210.90.22.00; and 7210.90.23.00), 7212 (with the exception of: 7212.10), 7225 and 7226. 
 
3  REASONS FOR INITIATION OF THE INVESTIGATION 
The investigation was initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade following a petition submitted 
by the company Maghreb Steel, on behalf of the domestic industry for cold-rolled sheets 
and plated or coated sheets, and on the basi s of the information and evidence contained 
in the petition. G/SG/N/6/MAR/8 
- 2 - 
   
According to the petition, the products in questi on have been imported into the Moroccan market 
in such increased quantities, both in absolute terms and in relation to domestic production, as to cause serious injury to the domestic industry for cold-rolled sheets and plated 
or coated sheets. 
 The volume of imports of cold-rolled sheets gr ew by roughly 100% in 2012 compared with 2011, 
and by 89% in 2013 in relation to 2012.  Imports of plated or coated sheets 
rose by 77% in 2012 compared with 2011. This trend intensified in the first two months of 2014, during which 28,146 tonnes of cold-rolled sheets and plated or coated sheets were imported into Morocco, representing a 62% increase in relation to the same period in 2013. Similarly, relative 
to domestic production, imports of cold-rolled sheets have followed an upward trend since 2010. 
 According to Maghreb Steel, the massive increase in imports is due to an unexpected change 
in circumstances arising from a wave of sheet exports from European countries to Morocco, 
linked to a decline in steel consumption in Europe and the ongoing economic and financial crisis in certain European countries. 
 
Maghreb Steel claims that this upsurge in imports has caused serious injury to the domestic industry for cold-rolled sheets and plated or coated sheets, resulting in a decline, since the beginning of 2012, in output, producti vity, production capacity, sales and the level 
of employment, as well as declines in the financial performance of the domestic industry. 
 4  PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES FOR INTERESTED PARTIES TO MAKE THEMSELVES 
KNOWN 
Interested parties have a period of 15 days from the date of initiation of the investigation to make 
themselves known as such and to request the investigation questionnaire, by contacting the 
Ministry of Foreign Trade by fax or email at the number or address provided in paragraph 5. 
 Apart from replies to questionnaires, all interested parties are invited to make their views known and to submit information and supporting evidence to the Ministry of Foreign Trade within a period 
of 30 days from the date of initiation of the investigation. 
 The Ministry of Foreign Trade may hold a public hearing, either ex officio or on request, in which 
interested parties may participate provided that they so request and show that they are actually 
likely to be affected by the result of the investigation. The purpose of the hearing is to enable interested parties, in accordance with Article 78 of Law No. 15-09 on Trade Defence Measures 
and Article 3 of the WTO Agreement on Safeguar ds, to present arguments and counterarguments 
and to express their views on the appropriaten ess of applying a safeguard measure as well 
as on whether the application of such a measure is in the public interest.  
5  CONTACT POINT FOR CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THE INVESTIGATION 
For information concerning the investigation procedure, the address for correspondence is: 
 
 Ministère Délégué auprès du Minist ère de l'Industrie, du Commerce, 
de l'Investissement et de  l'Économie Numérique Chargé du Commerce Extérieur 
Direction de la Politique des Échanges  Commerciaux/Division de la Défense 
Commerciale 
 63, Avenue Moulay Youssef, Rabat  Fax: (212) 5 3771-7250/(212) 5 3775-1622  Email: ddc@mce.gov.ma 
 
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