RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/C/W/96
24October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4653)
Council forTrade inGoods
19November 1997
FRANCE -TRADING ARRANGEMENTS WITH MOROCCO
Draft Decision onExtension oftheWaiver
Notingthat,followingarequestbytheEuropeanCommunities,theGeneralCouncil,byDecision
of14October 19961,extended until theentry intoforce oftheEuro-Mediterranean Agreement
establishing anassociation between theEuropean Communities andtheirmember States, oftheone
part,andtheKingdom ofMorocco, oftheotherpart,oruntil31December 1997, whichever theearlier,
thewaiver granted forFrance 'spreferential trading arrangements withMorocco byDecision ofthe
CONTRACTING PARTIES of10November 19602.
Noting thatthewaiver applies totheprovisions ofparagraph 1ofArticle IoftheGeneral
Agreement onTariffs andTrade (GATT), totheextent necessary topermit France toapply duty-free
tariff quotas toanumber ofproducts originating inpartsoftheterritory oftheKingdom ofMorocco
notcovered bytheprovisions ofparagraphs 2and4ofArticle IoftheGATT;
Bearing inmindthattheDecision of14October 1996wastaken without prejudice totheright
oftheEuropean Communities torequest arenewal ofthewaiver, should thisprove necessary;
Having beeninformed bytheEuropean Communities thatitisunlikely thatalloftheirmember
States willratify theEuro-Mediterranean Agreement withMorocco before 31December 1997;
Taking noteoftherequest3oftheEuropean Communities, made inaccordance withparagraph 1
oftheUnderstanding inrespect ofWaivers andparagraph 3ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement,
toextend thewaiver untiltheentry intoforce oftheEuro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an
association between theEuropean Communities andtheirmember States, oftheonepart, andthe
Kingdom ofMorocco, oftheother part,oruntil31December 1998, whichever istheearlier;
Considering thatnochanges haveoccurred inthemeasures forwhich theextension ofthewaiver
isrequested, inthespecific policy objectives pursued, orinthecontinued existence oftheexceptional
circumstances justifying thewaiver4.
1WT/L/187 of18October 1996.
2BISD 9S/39.
3G/L/196.
4G/L/109 of9September 1996.
./.G/C/W/96
Page2
Considering thattheterms andconditions attached totheextended waiver havebeencomplied
with;
Taking intoaccount thattheEuropean Communities haveprovided assurances thattheywill,
uponrequest, promptly enterintoconsultations withanyinterested WTO Member withrespect toany
difficulty ormatter thatmayariseasaresult oftheextension ofthewaiver;
Noting thatthisrequest hasbeenmade bytheEuropean Communities without prejudice to
theirright torequest afurther extension ofthewaiver before theendof1998, should thisprove
necessary;
Members, acting pursuant totheprovisions ofparagraph 2oftheUnderstanding inrespect
ofWaivers andparagraphs 3and4ofArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement.
Decide that:
1. Thewaiver fortheTrading Arrangements withMorocco granted byparagraph 1oftheDecision
oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES of19November 19605,extended byDecision oftheGeneral
Council of14October 19966,isfurther extended until theentry intoforce ofthe
Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing anassociation between theEuropean Communities
andtheirmember States, oftheonepart,andtheKingdom ofMorocco, oftheother part,or
until31December 1998, whichever theearlier, subject totheterms andconditions setout
under theabove-mentioned Decision of14October 1996.
5BISD 9S/39.
6WT/L/187 of18October 1996.