WTO releases statistics on safeguard measures
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-17 10:00

The World Trade Organization (WTO) published on Wednesday statistics on safeguards actions notified by WTO members pursuant to the Agreement on Safeguards during the period Jan. 1, 1995 to June 30, 2005.

According to the statistics, a total of 139 safeguard investigations were initiated during the period, and a total of 68 safeguard measures were imposed.

These totals are relatively low, compared to the 2,743 anti- dumping initiations and 1,729 anti-dumping measures, and the 176 countervailing duty initiations and 108 countervailing duties measures notified during the same period.

Safeguard measures are defined as "emergency" actions with respect to increased imports of particular products, where such imports have caused or threaten to cause serious injury to the importing member's domestic industry.

Such measures can consist of quantitative import restrictions or of duty increases to higher than bound rates.

They are one of three types of contingent trade protection measures, along with anti-dumping and countervailing measures, available to WTO members.

According to the WTO, the number of initiations of safeguard investigations peaked in 2002 at 34. The number of initiations has declined since then, with 14 initiations in 2004 and 4 initiations for the most recent period, Jan. 1 to June 30 this year.

The member notifying the largest number of initiations since 1995 was India, with 15 initiations. Chile, Jordan and the United States followed, with 10 initiations each.

The most frequent subject of investigations since 1995 were chemical products (25 initiations), base metals (21 initiations), foodstuffs (15 initiations), vegetables (13 initiations) and animal products (12 initiations).

For the period January-June 2005, the products subject to newly notified investigations were bicycles, insecticides, ceramic tiles and footwear.

Concerning application of new final safeguard measures, since 1995, India reported the largest number (eight), followed by Chile and the United States (six measures each).