Application Of Safeguards And Anti-Dumping Duties In Colombia

Abstract

Colombia's experience in the use of safeguards and anti-dumping duties differs from international trends. On the one hand, the number of investigations conducted is substantially lower than that recorded in most of the hemisphere's large and medium-size countries. On the other, while there is a growing international trend of more frequent use of anti-dumping as opposed to safeguards, in Colombia the safeguard process has been the more used policy instrument. Although several large and medium-size firms are familiar with the application of safeguards and anti-dumping duties, there is still a relative unfamiliarity regarding the instruments in most of the private sector. The institutional arrangements related to the investigations and the decision-making processes have proven to be stable and sound. The trade liberalization process in the country has created awareness of the importance of preserving the competitiveness of production chains to strengthen their insertion in international markets, which has restrained the authorities from restricting access to intermediate goods and raw materials. The evaluation of the Colombian experience also raises concerns about the potential discretional use of these instruments. The relatively intense use of safeguards and anti-dumping measures in some specific periods and sectors, especially in the agricultural sector, shows that the institutional framework itself is not always enough to guarantee a disciplined use of the instruments.

Political Economy of Trade Policy in Latin America

“…Until 2005 the sector was very active in requesting safeguards against Andean countries, since rice has a tariff preference of 100 percent with those countries. During 1994During -2004 rice stood out as one of the products with the highest number of investigation applications for dumping and safeguards (Reina and Zuluaga 2005). In recent years, nontariff measures (i.e., limiting the issuance of phytosanitary certificates) and noncompliance by Colombia with commitments with Andean countries have restricted imports from Ecuador and Peru.…”

Las reglas de origen en el Acuerdo de Promoción Comercial Perú-Estados Unidos de Norteamérica

“…No obstante, la clasificación arancelaria tiene limitaciones en la medida en que no fue explícitamente diseñada para determinar normas de origen sino para administrar y gravar las importaciones. 19 Un "salto de clasificación" ocurre cuando una mercancía se encuentra clasificada en una posición arancelaria a escala de capítulo (dos dígitos), partida (cuatro dígitos) o subpartida (seis dígitos), diferente de la posición arancelaria (al mismo nivel antes señalado) de todos los insumos no originarios utilizados en el proceso productivo de dicha mercancía. 20 Para efectos de los beneficios del Acuerdo, las listas de desgravación arancelaria así como las reglas de origen se encuentran negociadas en la nomenclatura del Sistema Armonizado de Designación y Codificación de Mercancías (SA) del año 2002, por lo que se debe realizar la clasificación en dicha versión; sin embargo, cabe precisar que el certificado de origen se llena con la subpartida de la versión actualizada, es decir, del año 2012.…”