Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it has terminated the safeguard measures on imports of wire rods with a diameter of 5.5-14 millimeters and reinforcing bars with a diameter ranging from 5.5 millimeters to 40 millimeters as of October 16, 2023. The reason for the termination was that the total period of the measures, including the initial application and the extensions, had reached 10 years.
The measures were first imposed on imports exceeding the import quota volumes set by the government in 2013 and then extended three times, based on the fact that imports would continue to increase in the coming years and that there was a real risk of imports of these products increasing after the measures was terminated. During this period, the import quota volumes were updated regularly, in line with changing market conditions and needs in the Moroccan domestic market.
The products subject to the investigation fell under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7213.91.90.00, 7214.20.90.00 and 7214.99.91.00.
