++++

I

1 . THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY SHALL OFFER THE INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES LISTED IN ANNEX VI TO THE ACT OF ACCESSION THE POSSIBILITY OF ORDERING THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY IN THE SPIRIT OF THE DECLARATION OF INTENT ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL AT ITS MEETING HELD ON 1/2 APRIL 1963 , ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FORMULAE AT THEIR CHOICE :

_ PARTICIPATION IN THE CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION WHICH , UPON THE EXPIRY OF THE CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION SIGNED ON 29 JULY 1969 , WILL GOVERN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES WHICH SIGNED THE LATTER CONVENTION ;

_ THE CONCLUSION OF ONE OR MORE SPECIAL CONVENTIONS OF ASSOCIATION ON THE BASIS OF ARTICLE 238 OF THE EEC TREATY COMPRISING RECIPROCAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS , PARTICULARLY IN THE FIELD OF TRADE ;

_ THE CONCLUSION OF TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH A VIEW TO FACILITATING AND DEVELOPING TRADE BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THOSE COUNTRIES .

2 . FOR PRACTICAL REASONS , THE COMMUNITY DESIRES THAT THE INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES TO WHICH ITS OFFER IS ADDRESSED , SHOULD TAKE UP A POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THIS OFFER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER ACCESSION .

THE COMMUNITY PROPOSES TO THE INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES LISTED IN ANNEX VI TO THE ACT OF ACCESSION THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS ENVISAGED FOR THE CONCLUSION OF AGREEMENTS BASED ON ONE OF THE FORMULAE CONTAINED IN THE OFFER SHOULD BEGIN AS FROM 1 AUGUST 1973 .

THE COMMUNITY ACCORDINGLY INVITES THE INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES WHICH CHOOSE TO NEGOTIATE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE FIRST FORMULA TO PARTICIPATE SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES IN NEGOTIATING THE NEW CONVENTION TO FOLLOW THE CONVENTION SIGNED ON 29 JULY 1969 .

3 . IN THE EVENT OF BOTSWANA , LESOTHO OR SWAZILAND CHOOSING ONE OF THE FIRST TWO FORMULAE CONTAINED IN THE OFFER :

_ APPROPRIATE SOLUTIONS MUST BE FOUND FOR THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THESE COUNTRIES , WHICH ARE IN A CUSTOMS UNION WITH A THIRD COUNTRY ;

_ THE COMMUNITY MUST , IN THE TERRITORY OF THOSE STATES , ENJOY TARIFF TREATMENT NOT LESS FAVOURABLE THAN THAT APPLIED BY THOSE STATES TO THE MOST-FAVOURED THIRD COUNTRY ;

_ THE PROVISIONS OF THE SYSTEM APPLIED , AND PARTICULARLY THE RULES OF ORIGIN MUST BE SUCH AS TO AVOID ANY RISK OF TRADE DEFLECTION TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE COMMUNITY RESULTING FROM THE PARTICIPATION OF THOSE STATES IN A CUSTOMS UNION WITH A THIRD COUNTRY .

II

1 . AS REGARDS THE ASSOCIATION ARRANGEMENTS TO BE MADE ON THE EXPIRY OF THE CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION SIGNED ON 29 JULY 1969 , THE COMMUNITY IS READY TO PURSUE ITS POLICY OF ASSOCIATION BOTH WITH REGARD TO THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES AND WITH REGARD TO THE INDEPENDENT DEVELOPING COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES WHICH BECOME PARTIES TO THE SAME ASSOCIATION .

2 . THE ACCESSION OF THE NEW MEMBER STATES TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE POSSIBLE EXTENSION OF THE POLICY OF ASSOCIATION SHOULD NOT BE THE SOURCE OF ANY WEAKENING IN THE COMMUNITY'S RELATIONS WITH THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES WHICH ARE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION SIGNED ON 29 JULY 1969 .

THE COMMUNITY'S RELATIONS WITH THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES ENSURE FOR THOSE STATES A RANGE OF ADVANTAGES AND ARE BASED ON STRUCTURES WHICH GIVE THE ASSOCIATION ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER IN THE FIELDS OF TRADE RELATIONS , FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND JOINT INSTITUTIONS .

3 . THE COMMUNITY'S OBJECTIVE IN ITS POLICY OF ASSOCIATION SHALL REMAIN THE SAFEGUARDING OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED AND OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES REFERRED TO ABOVE .

4 . THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ASSOCIATION , WHICH WILL BE DEFINED DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS REFERRED TO IN THE THIRD SUBPARAGRAPH IN PART I ( 2 ) OF THIS PROTOCOL , MUST SIMILARLY TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS COMMON TO THE INDEPENDENT DEVELOPING COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES SITUATED IN AFRICA , THE INDIAN OCEAN , THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND THE CARIBBEAN , AND THE ASSOCIATED AFRICAN AND MALAGASY STATES , THE EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF ASSOCIATION , THE WISHES OF THE ASSOCIATED STATES AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE STATES OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GENERALIZED PREFERENCE SCHEME .

III

THE COMMUNITY WILL HAVE AS ITS FIRM PURPOSE THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTERESTS OF ALL THE COUNTRIES REFERRED TO IN THIS PROTOCOL WHOSE ECONOMIES DEPEND TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT ON THE EXPORT OF PRIMARY PRODUCTS , AND PARTICULARLY OF SUGAR .

THE QUESTION OF SUGAR WILL BE SETTLED WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK , BEARING IN MIND WITH REGARD TO EXPORTS OF SUGAR THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PRODUCT FOR THE ECONOMIES OF SEVERAL OF THESE COUNTRIES AND OF THE COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES IN PARTICULAR .