On April 8, 2024, Türkiye initiated a safeguard investigation into imports of the chemical product Ethyl Acetate (also known as ethyl acetate) into Türkiye.

I. Relevant information:

1. Initiation date: April 8, 2024

2. Goods under investigation: Ethyl Acetate, HS Code 2915.31.00.00.00.

3. Period of investigation: 2021 - 2023

4. Final Decision: In its Conclusion Notice, DGI stated that imports increased both in absolute and relative terms during the investigation period. Imports increased by 27% in 2022 and by an additional 6% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Furthermore, imports in 2023 increased by 35% compared to 2021. The overall picture shows that the domestic industry suffered significant damage during the investigation period. Indicators such as production volume, domestic sales, capacity utilization rate, and profitability all declined significantly during the period from 2021 to 2023.

5. Unforeseen developments: DGI believes that several factors have led to the sudden increase in imports into Turkey: (i) The increase in capacity, particularly in China, the UK, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia since 2021, has led to a shift of exports to Turkey, especially from geographically close countries; (ii) The regulation increasing the 10% export tax rebate for ethyl acetate to 13% by China has increased the competitiveness of products originating from China in the export market; (iii) The additional tariffs that the US has applied to ethyl acetate from China since 2018 under Section 301 have diverted China's ethyl acetate exports to countries with lower tariffs. (Türkiye's current import duty is 5.5%).

6. Safeguard Duty Rates and Application Periods:

Türkiye imposes safeguard duties and application periods based on quotas: 10,000 tons, duty rate of USD 110/ton in the first phase (June 22, 2025 – June 21, 2026); 10,000 tons, duty rate of USD 104/ton in the second phase (June 22, 2026 – June 21, 2027); and a further 10,000 tons, duty rate of USD 99/ton, in the third phase (June 22, 2027 – June 21, 2028).

The above tariffs will take effect from June 22, 2025. Viet Nam is not on the list of countries excluded from this measure because it does not meet the criterion of having imports into Türkiye below 3%.

II. Case calendar: 

The case documents are attached below: