WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TMB/N/477 
22 June 2004 
 (04-2713) 
Textiles Monitoring Body Original:   English/ 
                 French/                  Spanish 
 
 
 
AGREEMENT ON TEXTILES AND CLOTHING 
 
Communication from the European Communities 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 8 June 2004, from the Delegation of the European 
Commission, is being circulated to WTO Members for their information.   
 
     
 
    G/TMB/N/477 
Page 2  
 
 European Commission 
Permanent Delegation  
to the International Organizations in Geneva 
 
Head of Delegation 
  
Geneva, 8 June 2004 
 
 
 
Subject: Your letter dated 27 May 
Ref: TMB/100 
Dear Mr Szepesi, 
  Referring to your letter of 27 May (TMB/100)  concerning the deliberations of the TMB 
during its meeting on 17-18 May about EU enlargement as of 1 May, I would like to inform you of the following: 
 
 As from 1 May 2004, the European Union in cludes ten new member States. The Act of 
Accession establishes in Article 6 (7) that the new member States must apply the common trade 
policy concerning textiles and that the already ex isting quantitative restrictions applied by the 
Community on imports of textile and clothing products  are to be adjusted to take account of the 
accession of the new member States to the Co mmunity. These quantitative restrictions, already 
notified to the TMB, applicable to imports of certa in textile products from third countries into the 
enlarged Community have consequen tly been adjusted so as to cove r equally imports into the ten new 
member States, and the Council Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93 on common rules for imports of certain textile products from third countries h as been amended accordingly. The new Council 
Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC)  No 3030/93 has been published under Council 
Regulation No 487/04 in the Official Journal of the European Union, No  L79 on 17 March 2004 .  
(See enclosed.  Obviously, for the purpose of this communication, information therein only applies to WTO Members).   It is pointed out that the Community does not consider this extension of the geographical 
application of existing restrictions to  constitute new restrictions in the sense of Article 2.4 of the ATC.  
This extension was necessary to realize the enla rgement process whilst ensuring the maintenance and 
unhampered functioning of the expanded internal EU ma rket in the interest of all economic operators, 
including exporters. The option of maintaining th e import regime into the new member States 
unchanged but without allowing free circulation within  the Community was not considered to be in 
the general interest of neither exporters, Community  operators nor consumers.   On overall terms, the 
general incidence of enlargement ha s to be considered in the longer term and can as such not be 
considered more restrictive than the situation pr ior to 1 May. The Community's notification to the 
TMB of 17 March about elimination of restrictions  on schedule as foreseen by the ATC by the end of 
2004 remains valid also for the enlarged Community of 25 members.   G/TMB/N/477 
 Page 3 
 
 
 When adjusting and increasing the quantities from EU 15 to EU 25 the European Communities have used a methodology which takes in to account the traditional imports into the new 
member States, using a formula consisting of the aver age of the last three years’ imports into the ten 
new member States originating in third countries, adjusted pro rata temporis . 
 
  Sincerely yours, 
 
   
 ( signed ) 
 p.o. Peter Thompson 
  Carlo Trojan   Ambassador 
  
     Mr András Szepesi Chairman 
Textiles Monitoring Body 
WTO Centre William Rappard Rue de Lausanne 154 1211 Geneva 21 
 
     
 
    
 
(Please see for enclosure pdf. file)