. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SG/N/6/ECU/8 
26 April 2010 
 
 (10-2134) 
Committee on Safeguards Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(a) OF THE AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS 
ON INITIATION OF AN INVESTIGATION AND THE REASONS FOR IT 
 
ECUADOR 
 
(Windshields
) 
   The following communication, dated 22 April 2010,  is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Ecuador. 
 
_______________ 
 
  Pursuant to Article 12.1(a) of the Agre ement on Safeguards, Ec uador hereby notifies 
Resolution No. 10061 of 8 March 2010 of the Under-Secretariat for Trade and Investment of the 
Ministry of Industry and Productivity, in its capacity  as the investigating authority of the Government 
of Ecuador, which was published in Official Journa l No. 174 of 19 April 2010 and relates to the 
initiation of an investigation procedure con cerning imports of goods classified under tariff 
subheading 7007.21.00 ("Of size a nd shape suitable for incorporation in vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft 
or vessels") to determine whether such imports have caused or threaten to cau se serious injury to the 
domestic industry producing like or directly competitive products. 
  To that end, the text of the Resolution and the Ecuadorian Official Journal in which it was 
published are attached hereto.
1 
 
                                                      
1 A copy of Resolution No. 10061 and of the Official Journal (in Spanish only) have been submitted 
electronically.  In order to view these documents, pleas e contact Ms Budd (hilary.budd@wto.org) or Ms Naville 
(delphine.naville@wto.org) from the Rules Division. G/SG/N/6/ECU/8 
Page 2  
 
  (1) Specify the date when the investigation was initiated . 
  The date established for the initiation of the investigation is 19 April 2010 (Official 
Journal No. 174).  (2) Provide the precise description of the product involved. 
 
 The products in question are windshields, classified under Harmonized System subheading 7007.21.  Windshields are classified under subheading 7007.21.00 of Ecuador's national 
import tariff, with the following description:  "Of si ze and shape suitable for incorporation in vehicles, 
aircraft, spacecraft or vessels". 
 
(3) Provide the reasons for the initiation of investigation. 
 
 The investigation was initiated at the requ est of the company CRILAMYT S.A., the sole 
manufacturer of a like product in Ecuador.  Ecuador has seen a massive increase in imports of the 
product in question, calculated at 209 per cent (fro m 488.21 kg. in 2003 to 1,513.10 kg. in 2008), 
which has adversely affected domestic production.  Th is surge in imports, estimated at 174 per cent in 
c.i.f. value terms (from US$1,919,760 in 2003 to US$5,277,400 in 2008), le d to a reduction in the 
Ecuadorian market share of the company CRILAMY T S.A. (from 31.8 per cent in 2003 to 10.4 per 
cent in 2009), in spite of a natural incr ease in the domestic demand for windshields. 
 
(4) Provide a point of contact for the invest igation and identify the preferred means for 
corresponding.  The point of contact would be  available to respond to enquiries relating 
to the procedures applicable to the investigation. 
 
Subsecretaría de Comercio e Inversiones del Ministerio de Industrias y Productividad 
(Under-Secretariat for Trade and Investment of the Ministry of Industry and Productivity) 
 Av. Amazonas y Eloy Alfaro 
Segundo Piso del Ministerio de Agricultura 
 
Contact via e-mail would be preferable: 
bvalarezo@mipro.gov.ec 
mrcifuentes@mipro.gov.ec lcastillo@mipro.gov.ec 
 
(5) Provide the deadlines and procedures for importers, exporters and other interested 
parties to present evidence and their views, including (i) deadlines and procedures for 
Members and exporters to identify themselves as interested parties, if so required, to 
participate in the investigation and (ii) the date of an intended public hearing as provided for in Article 3.1. 
 
 Members, importers and expor ters which consider themselves interested parties to the 
investigation have a period of 30 days as from the date of initiation of the investigation 
(Monday 17 May 2010) in which to identify themselv es as such.  To this end, a reasoned request 
should be submitted to the Under-Secr etariat for Trade and Investment. 
  A hearing will be held for all interested par ties within a period of 45 days of the date of 
initiation of the investigation.  The Investigating Authority may, if it deems appropriate, hold separate 
hearings, of which the interested parties would be previously informed.  
__________