Notice of Initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning imports of certain textile products originating in the People's Republic of China
Date: 2005-04-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: China, clothing, common commercial policy, protective clause, textile industry, textile product

29.4.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 104/21

Notice of Initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning imports of certain textile products
originating in the People's Republic of China

(2005/C 104/07)

The Commission has collected information on the trend of
imports of certain textile products originating in the People's
Republic of China (‘the PRC’)
for the
opening of an investigation into whether to invoke the textile
specific safeguard provisions concerning products originating
in the PRC pursuant to Article 10a of Council Regulation (EEC)
No 3030/93 (1).

that appear to call

4. Procedure

The Commission has concluded that there is sufficient evidence
to justify the initiation of an investigation in relation to the
product categories concerned. The Commission has therefore
decided to initiate an investigation to determine whether the
application of textile specific safeguard measures in relation to
those product categories is warranted.

1. Information collected by the Commission

The information on imports collected by the Commission
through the import monitoring system pursuant to Council
Regulation (EC) No 2200/2004 (2) contains indications that
imports of product categories listed in the Annex to this Notice
may threaten to impede the orderly development of trade. In
particular,
imports of those product categories have clearly
exceeded the indicative thresholds laid down in the Notice on
Application of Article 10(a) of Council regulation (EEC) No
3030/93 (3) during the first quarter of 2005.

2. Products

The products concerned are certain textile product categories
as listed in the Annex to this Notice.

3. Trends of imports originating in the PRC

The following import growths have been recorded during the
first quarter of 2005 when compared with the same period of
2004:

— Product category 4: 164 %

— Product category 5: 534 %

— Product category 6: 413 %

— Product category 7: 186 %

— Product category 12: 183 %

— Product category 15: 139 %

— Product category 31: 63 %

— Product category 115: 51 %

— Product category 117: 257 %

(1) OJ L 275, 8.11.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Council

Regulation (EC) No 2200/2004 (OJ L 374, 22.12.2004, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 374, 22.12.2004, p. 1.
(3) Not yet published in the Official Journal.

4.1. Written submissions, questionnaire replies and corre-

spondence

All interested parties are invited to make their views known in
writing and submit information. Any interested party wishing
to do so must submit its views and information within 21
calendar days of the date of publication of this Notice in the
Official Journal of the European Union, failing which its views and
information may not be taken into account during the investi-
gation.

In addition, the Commission will solicit information from asso-
ciations of producers in the Community of the product cate-
gories listed in the Annex to this Notice. The Commission will
also solicit information from producers of these product cate-
gories in the Community. Due account taken of the time limits
to conclude the investigation and the fragmentation of the
industry, these producers will be selected on the basis of infor-
mation available,
the relevant associations of
producers in the Community. Interested parties in third coun-
tries or in the Community may be invited to or otherwise
directly submit information on the impact of any changes in
export trends to the Community on their own industries. Like-
wise, consumer associations and distributors in the Community
are hereby invited to make their views known and submit any
pertinent evidence.

inter alia, at

The solicited information should reach the Commission within
the above mentioned deadline of 21 calendar days. All relevant
information is to be communicated to the Commission. All
submissions and requests made by interested parties should be
made in writing (not in electronic format unless otherwise
specified) and should indicate the name, address, e-mail
address, telephone and fax, and/or telex numbers of the inter-
ested party. All written submissions, including the information
requested in this notice, questionnaire replies and correspon-
dence provided by interested parties on a confidential basis
should be labelled as ‘Limited’ and should be accompanied by a
non-confidential version, which should be labelled ‘For inspec-
tion by interested parties’.

The Commission address for correspondence is:

European Commission
Directorate-General for Trade
Directorate B
J-79 5/16
B-1049 Brussels
Fax (32-2) 295 65 05

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EN

Official Journal of the European Union

29.4.2005

4.2 Hearings

The Commission may hear interested parties. Any interested
party may apply to be heard orally by the Commission. The
Commission will grant an oral hearing to any interested party
who applies in writing within 21 days of the date of publica-
tion of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union,
showing that they are actually likely to be affected by the
outcome of the investigation and that there are special reasons
for them to be heard orally.

5. Inspection of information

Interested parties who have made their views known or
submitted information may, upon a written request, inspect all
information made available to the Commission in connection
with the investigation other than internal documents prepared
by the authorities of the Community or its Member States,
provided that such information is relevant to the presentation
of their case and not confidential and that it is used by the
Commission in the investigation. Interested parties which have

come forward may communicate their views on the informa-
tion in question to the Commission and those views may be
taken into consideration where they are supported by sufficient
evidence.

6. Schedule of the investigation

the imposition of

The investigation shall be conducted within no more than 60
days of the date of the publication of this Notice in the Official
Journal of the European Union. This period may be extended by
10 working days in exceptional circumstances. If at the end of
the investigation the Commission concludes that the conditions
textile specific safeguard measures
for
regarding the products concerned are fulfilled, it shall consult
the Textiles Committee and decide in accordance with Article
17 of Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93, in particular, whether to
request formal consultations with the PRC pursuant to Article
10a(1)(a) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93. The
Commission will publish the decision and its reasons in the
Official Journal of the European Union.

29.4.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 104/23

ANNEX

PRODUCT CATEGORIES CONCERNED

Product
category

Description

CN codes

Shirts, T-shirts, lightweight fine knit roll, polo or turtle
necked jumpers and pullovers (other than of wool or fine
animal hair), undervests and the like, knitted or crocheted

6105 10 00, 6105 20 10, 6105 20 90,
6105 90 10, 6109 10 00, 6109 90 10,
6109 90 30, 6110 20 10, 6110 30 10

Jerseys, pullovers, slip-overs, waistcoats, twinsets, cardi-
gans, bed-jackets and jumpers (others than jackets and
blazers), anoraks, wind-cheaters, waister jackets and the
like, knitted or crocheted

Men's or boys' woven breeches, shorts other than swim-
wear and trousers (including slacks); women's or girls'
woven trousers and slacks, of wool, of cotton or of man
made fibres; lower parts of track suits with lining, others
than category 16 or 29, of cotton or of man-made fibres.

Women's or girls' blouses,
shirts and shirt-blouses,
whether or not knitted or rocheted, of wool, of cotton or
man-made fibres

6101 10 90, 6101 20 90, 6101 30 90,
6102 10 90, 6102 20 90, 6102 30 90,
6110 11 10, 6110 11 30, 6110 11 90,
6110 12 10, 6110 12 90, 6110 19 10,
6110 19 90, 6110 20 91, 6110 20 99,
6110 30 91, 6110 30 99

6203 41 10, 6203 41 90, 6203 42 31,
6203 42 33, 6203 42 35, 6203 42 90,
6203 43 19, 6203 43 90, 6203 49 19,
6203 49 50, 6204 61 10, 6204 62 31,
6204 62 33, 6204 62 39, 6204 63 18,
6204 69 18, 6211 32 42, 6211 33 42,
6211 42 42, 6211 43 42

6106 10 00, 6106 20 00, 6106 90 10,
6206 20 00, 6206 30 00, 6206 40 00

Panty-hose and tights, stockings, understockings, socks,
anklesocks, sockettes and the like, knitted or crocheted,
other than for babies,
including stockings for varicose
veins, other than products of category 70

6115 12 00, 6115 19 00, 6115 20 11,
6115 20 90, 6115 91 00, 6115 92 00,
6115 93 10, 6115 93 30, 6115 93 99,
6115 99 00

Women's or girls' woven overcoats, raincoats and other
coats, cloaks and capes; jackets and blazers, of wool, of
cotton or of man-made textile fibres (other than parkas)
(of category 21)

ex
6202 11 00,
6202 12 90,
ex
6202 13 90, 6204 31 00, 6204 32 90,
6204 33 90, 6204 39 19, 6210 30 00

6202 12 10,
6202 13 10,

ex
ex

Brassières, woven, knitted or crocheted

ex 6212 10 10, 6212 10 90

4

5

6

7

12

15

31

115

Flax or ramie yarn

117

Woven fabrics of flax or of ramie

5306 10 10, 5306 10 30, 5306 10 50,
5306 10 90, 5306 20 10, 5306 20 90,
5308 90 12, 5308 90 19

5309 11 10, 5309 11 90, 5309 19 00,
5309 21 10, 5309 21 90, 5309 29 00,
5311 00 10, 5803 90 90, 5905 00 30