OF 1980 , 24 400 TONNES IN THE SECOND QUARTER AND 18 300 TONNES IN THE THIRD QUARTER , NAMELY , FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1980 , AN INCREASE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS OF 9.2 % AS COMPARED WITH 1979 ;
WHEREAS IT IS DIFFICULT TO ESTIMATE WITH CERTAINTY THE EXACT LEVEL OF THE SHARE WHICH THESE IMPORTS TOOK OF THE NON-CAPTIVE COMMUNITY MARKET FOR STYRENE , SINCE NO OFFICIAL STATISTICS EXIST REGARDING THE SIZE OF THE LATTER ; WHEREAS , ON THE BASIS OF THE BEST ESTIMATE OF THE NON-CAPTIVE MARKET BY THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS ' FEDERATIONS ( CEFIC ), THE SHARE TAKEN BY US EXPORTS STOOD AT 17 % IN 1979 , 17 % IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1980 , 17 % IN THE SECOND QUARTER AND 19 % IN THE THIRD QUARTER ; WHEREAS , ON THE BASIS OF THE COMMISSION ' S OWN ESTIMATES OF APPARENT CONSUMPTION , THE SHARE OF US EXPORTS IN THE NON-CAPTIVE MARKET MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN AS HIGH AS 23 % IN THE THIRD QUARTER ; WHEREAS IT SEEMS CLEAR IN ANY EVENT THAT US EXPORTS HAVE , FOR SOME TIME , HELD A SUBSTANTIAL SHARE OF THE NON-CAPTIVE COMMUNITY MARKET , AND THAT THIS SHARE INCREASED IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1980 ;
WHEREAS THE AVERAGE CIF VALUE OF IMPORTED US STYRENE WAS DOLLARS 853 PER TONNE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1980 , DOLLARS 849 PER TONNE IN THE SECOND QUARTER , AND DOLLARS 736 PER TONNE IN THE THIRD QUARTER ; WHEREAS THIS WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 % BELOW THE AVERAGE UNIT SALES REVENUE OF THE COMPLAINANT COMMUNITY PRODUCERS IN THE FIRST QUARTER ; WHEREAS , THEREAFTER , THE COMMUNITY PRODUCERS PROGRESSIVELY REDUCED THEIR PRICES UNTIL , BY THE THIRD QUARTER , THESE HAD FALLEN TO APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LEVEL AS THE AVERAGE CIF VALUE OF IMPORTED US STYRENE ;
WHEREAS THE LEVEL OF PRODUCTION OF THE COMPLAINANT COMMUNITY PRODUCERS FELL BY 12 % BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND QUARTERS OF 1980 , AND BY 24 % BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD QUARTERS , BRINGING THEIR AVERAGE LEVEL OF CAPACITY UTILIZATION DOWN FROM 80 % TO 53 % ;
WHEREAS THE AVERAGE UNIT SALES PRICE OF THE COMPLAINANT PRODUCERS FELL FROM DOLLARS 943 PER TONNE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1980 TO DOLLARS 875 PER TONNE IN THE SECOND QUARTER AND DOLLARS 725 PER TONNE IN THE THIRD QUARTER , WHEREAS THIS LATTER LEVEL WAS CONSIDERABLY BELOW THE LEVEL REQUIRED TO COVER THE COSTS OF PRODUCTION , THEREBY LEADING TO LOSSES FOR THE PRODUCERS , WHICH WERE IN SOME CASES SUBSTANTIAL ;
WHEREAS , AS REGARDS THE INJURY CAUSED BY OTHER FACTORS WHICH , INDIVIDUALLY OR IN COMBINATION , ARE ALSO AFFECTING COMMUNITY PRODUCTION , THE COMMISSION HAS RECEIVED NO INFORMATION SINCE THE ADOPTION OF REGULATION ( EEC ) NO 384/81 WHICH MIGHT LEAD IT TO REVISE THE CONCLUSIONS REACHED IN THE SAID REGULATION IN THIS RESPECT ; WHEREAS THE COMMISSION HAS THEREFORE