Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : CR EIC 230/1/5/28

19 February 2008

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 124/2008

Egypt : Initiation of a Safeguard Investigation and Taking of a Provisional Safeguard Measure on Certain Blankets

According to a communication just circulated by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Arab Republic of Egypt has initiated a safeguard investigation and taken a provisional safeguard measure on the imports of certain blankets, irrespective of their country of origin. The communication (document symbol G/SG/N/6/EGY/4 and G/SG/N/7/EGY/3) can be obtained from the WTO's website through the following link: http://docsonline.wto.org/gen_search.asp?language=1.

DETAILS

2. Salient points regarding the safeguard proceeding are set out below -

   (a) Date of Initiation	:	12 February 2008
   (b) Product Coverage	:	Blankets manufactured of artificial fibres of all sizes and weights. The product is classified under HS Tariff item numbers: 630190 and 630140.
   (c) Procedures	:	Interested parties should make themselves known within 30 days from 12 February 2008. Any information which the interested parties may wish to submit in writing and any request for a hearing before the investigation authority that they may wish to put forward should be submitted to the following address within 30 days from 12 February 2008: Ministry of Trade and Industry Trade Agreements Sector International Trade Policies Department El Maleya Towers - Tower No. 6 - 9th floor Extension of Ramses St. - Naser City - Cairo Tel : (202) 2342 1951 / 2342 1950 Fax : (202) 2342 1946 E-mail : tas@tas.gov.eg Website : http://www.tas.gov.eg

3. The Egyptian authorities also imposed a provisional safeguard measure, in the form of specific duty of 22 EGP/kg, to the subject product from 12 February 2008 to 29 August 2008.

BACKGROUND

4. The Egyptian authorities notified the WTO Committee on Safeguards on 11 February 2008 that a safeguard investigation was initiated after examination of a petition filed by an Egyptian company. It is alleged that increased imports of the subject product had caused serious injury to the domestic industry producing similar products. The notification by the Egyptian authorities also indicated that it had reached a preliminary conclusion that there was a correlation between the significant increase in imports and the serious injury suffered by the domestic industry. The domestic industry will suffer damage, which will be difficult to repair, in the absence of a provisional safeguard measure in para.3 above.

ENQUIRIES

5. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Mrs. Tracy Kwan/Mrs. Janet Tam at 3403 6352 or the undersigned at 2398 5427.

Yours faithfully,

(Ms Carmen SHIU)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry