G/SG/N/6/BHR/1, G/SG/N/6/KWT/1  
G/SG/N/6/OMN/1, G/SG/N/6/QAT/1  
G/SG/N/6/SAU/1, G/SG/N/6/ARE/1  
 
10 June 2016  
(16-3170)  Page: 1/2  
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 
BAHRAIN , KINGDOM OF ; KUWAIT , THE STATE OF ; OMAN, THE SULTANATE OF ; QATAR, THE STATE OF ; 
SAUDI ARABIA, KINGDOM OF ; AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  
(COOPERATION COUNCIL FOR THE ARAB STATES OF THE GULF "GCC") 
(Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel) 
The following communication, dated 9 June 2016, is being circulated at the request of The 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as President of the GCC on behalf of the GCC Member States: Bahrain, 
Kingdom of; Kuwait, the State of; Oman, the Sultanate of; Qatar, the State of; Saudi Arabia, 
Kingdom of; and United Arab Emirates. 
 
_______________ 
 
 Pursuant to Article 12.1(a) of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notifies the Committee on Safeguards that the GCC- Bureau of Technical Secretariat for 
Anti-Injurious Practices in International Trade (TSAIP) hereafter referred as "the Investigating 
Authority" has initiated, on behalf of GCC member States, a safeguard investigation as follows:  
1. Date of initiation of the investigation  
 The investigation was initiated upon the decision  of the Permanent Committee of Anti Injurious 
practices in the International Trade for the Arab States of the Gulf. The notice of initiation by the 
investigating authority is published in the Official Gazette of the GCC-TSAIP Volume (7) on 9 June 2016.
1 
 
2. Product subject to investigation 
 The products covered by the investigation include: 
 
a. Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, clad, plated 
or coated. // -Painted, varnished or coated with plastics; 
b. Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, clad, plated 
or coated. // -Other 
These products are imported, respectively, to GCC member countries under HS Code: 721070 
and 721090. 
 
3. Reasons for the initiation of investigation 
 
The investigation was initiated after receiving of a documented safeguards application filed by Universal Metal Coating Company Ltd ( UNICOIL ) pursuant to the GCC Common Law on 
                                               
1 A copy of this Official Gazette has been submitte d electronically. To consult this document please 
contact Ms. Budd ( hilary.budd@wto.org ) or Ms. Richards ( anne.richards@wto.org ) of the Rules Division. G/SG/N/6/BHR/1 • G/SG/N/6/KWT/1 • G/SG/N/6/O MN/1 • G/SG/N/6/QAT/1  • G/SG/N/6/SAU/1 • 
G/SG/N/6/ARE/1 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Antidumping, Countervailing Measures and Safegu ard Measures and its Rules of Implementation, 
in which it alleged that increased imports of th e concerned product had caused serious injury to 
the domestic industry producing similar products.   
The data currently available shows a situation of decreasing domestic sales, sharply decline in 
market share of the domestic industry, decreasing  domestic production, decreasing in the workers 
productivity, and increasing losses, in conj unction with the increase of imports.  
 
Accordingly, it was established that there was sufficient evidence in the application to justify the initiation of the investigation in order to determine whether or not the increase of imports caused serious injury to the domestic industry.  
 
4. Procedures and deadlines  
Interested parties willing to receive a questionnaire should request it no later than 10 days from 
the initiation of the investigation.  
All interested parties have a period of 21 days, from the initiation of the investigation, ta make 
themselves known. Any information which the interested parties may wish to submit before the investigating Authority should be submitted in writing.  
According to Article (14) of the Rules of Implementation of the GCC Common Law, the 
Investigating Authority may hold a public hearing for all known interested parties.   
5. Contact point for corresponding 
 The address of the competent authority for correspondence is: 
 
 
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf GCC-Bureau of Technical 
Secretariat for Anti Injurious Practices in International Trade 
P.O. Box 7153 Riyadh 11462 
TEL: (+966) 11 4827777 - FAX: (+966) 11 2810093 
Kingdom of Saudi  Arabia  
Email: TSAD@gccsg.org 
 
__________