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Article 268

1 . Subject to paragraph 2 , the Portuguese Republic shall eliminate , from 1 March 1986 , any levy of customs duties and of charges having equivalent effect on the import of products from the Community as at present constituted .

2 . For the products referred to in Article 259 , for which imports from third countries into the Community as at present constituted are subject to the application of customs duties , the following provisions shall apply with a view to a progressive abolition of those duties over the first and second stages :

( a ) Customs duties applicable to imports into the Community as at present constituted of products from Portugal shall be abolished in accordance with the following timetable :

- on 1 March 1986 , each duty shall be reduced to 88,9 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1987 , each duty shall be reduced to 77,8 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1988 , each duty shall be reduced to 66,7 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1989 , each duty shall be reduced to 55,6 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1990 , each duty shall be reduced to 44,5 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1991 , each duty shall be reduced to 33,4 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1992 , each duty shall be reduced to 22,3 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1993 , each duty shall be reduced to 11,2 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1994 , every duty shall be abolished .

However :

- for quality liqueur wines produced in specified regions , falling within heading No 22.05 of the Common Customs Tariff , the Community as at present constituted shall reduce its basic duties in three instalments in accordance with the following timetable :

- on 1 March 1986 , each duty shall be reduced to 66,7 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1987 , each duty shall be reduced to 33,4 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1988 , every duty shall be abolished ,

- for " vinhos verdes " and Dao wines falling within heading No 22.05 of the Common Customs Tariff , the Community as at present constituted shall reduce its basic duties in four equal successive instalments of 25 % on the following dates :

- 1 March 1986 ,

- 1 January 1987 ,

- 1 January 1988 ,

- 1 January 1989 ,

- for other wines treated in the same way as quality wines psr , falling within heading No 22.05 of the Common Customs Tariff , the Community as at present constituted shall reduce its basic duties in six instalments in accordance with the following timetable :

- on 1 March 1986 , each duty shall be reduced to 83,3 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1987 , each duty shall be reduced to 66,6 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1988 , each duty shall be reduced to 49,9 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1989 , each duty shall be reduced to 33,2 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1990 , each duty shall be reduced to 16,5 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1991 , every duty shall be abolished .

( b ) Customs duties applicable to imports into Portugal of products referred to in Article 259 from the Community as at present constituted shall be progressively abolished in accordance with the following timetable :

- on 1 March 1986 , each duty shall be reduced to 90,9 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1987 , each duty shall be reduced to 81,8 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1988 , each duty shall be reduced to 72,7 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1989 , each duty shall be reduced to 63,6 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1990 , each duty shall be reduced to 54,5 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1991 , each duty shall be reduced to 45,4 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1992 , each duty shall be reduced to 36,3 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1993 , each duty shall be reduced to 27,2 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1994 , each duty shall be reduced to 18,1 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1995 , each duty shall be reduced to 9 % of the basic duty ,

- on 1 January 1996 , every duty shall be abolished .

However :

- where , during the first stage , for one of the products referred to in Annex XXIII , a ceiling is placed on the duty resulting from the application of the preceding subparagraph in accordance with Article 191 at the level of duty applicable on import into Portugal from a third country benefiting from the most-favoured nation clause , and

- where the situation persists at the beginning of the second stage ,

the progressive abolition of the residual duty shall take place during the second stage starting from the level of duty actually applied at the beginning of the second stage in accordance with a timetable to be determined .

3 . Within the meaning of paragraphs 1 and 2 , the basic duty shall be that defined in Article 189 .

However :

- for the application of paragraph 2 ( b ) , and with the exception of the basic duty applicable to products referred to in Annex XXIII , the basic duty may not exceed the level of the Common Customs Tariff duty ,

- for quality liqueur wines produced in specified regions for " vinhos verdes " and Dao wines , the basic duties shall be those actually applied under the tariff quotas of the previous arrangements . The tariff quotas applied under these previous arrangements shall be abolished from 1 March 1986 .

4 . The provisions of Article 243 ( 4 ) shall apply mutatis mutandis during the period of abolition of the customs duties referred to in paragraph 2 . However , where Article 243 ( 4 ) makes provision , with regard to the Portuguese Republic , for a decision following the procedure described in the first subparagraph of that paragraph , the Portuguese Republic may act without that procedure ; in that case it shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of the measures taken .

Unless this Article or Article 243 ( 4 ) provide otherwise , Articles 189 to 195 shall also apply .