Provisional safeguard measures shall be applied in critical circumstances where a delay would cause damage which would be difficult to repair, pursuant to a preliminary determination on the basis of the factors referred to in Article 5(5) that there is sufficient prima facie evidence that imports of a product originating in a Central American country have increased as a result of the reduction or elimination of a customs duty in accordance with the Tariff Elimination Schedule, and such imports cause serious injury, or threat thereof, to the Union industry.

The Commission shall adopt provisional safeguard measures in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 14(2). In cases of imperative grounds of urgency, including the case referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, the Commission shall adopt immediately applicable provisional safeguard measures in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(4).

Where a Member State requests immediate intervention by the Commission and where the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are met, the Commission shall take a decision within five working days of receiving the request.

Provisional safeguard measures shall not apply for more than 200 calendar days.

Should the provisional safeguard measures be repealed because the investigation shows that the conditions set out in Article 2(1) are not met, any customs duty collected as a result of those provisional safeguard measures shall be refunded automatically.

Provisional safeguard measures shall apply to every product which is put into free circulation after the date of entry into force of those measures. However, such measures shall not prevent the release for free circulation of products already on their way to the Union where the destination of such products cannot be changed.