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Article 177

1 . The Kingdom of Spain shall retain with regard to third countries quantitative restrictions on imports of products not yet liberalized with regard to the Community as at present constituted . It shall not grant to third countries any other advantage in relation to the Community as at present constituted with respect to the quotas fixed for those products .

These quantitative restrictions shall remain in force for at least such time as quantitative restrictions obtain for the same products with regard to the Community as at present constituted .

2 . The Kingdom of Spain shall retain , with regard to the State-trading countries referred to by Regulations ( EEC ) No 1765/82 , ( EEC ) No 1766/82 and ( EEC ) No 3420/83 , quantitative restrictions on imports for products not yet liberalized with regard to countries to which Regulation ( EEC ) No 288/82 applies . It shall not grant the State-trading countries any other advantage in relation to the countries to which Regulation ( EEC ) No 288/82 applies with regard to the quotas fixed for those products .

These quantitative restrictions shall remain in force for at least such time as quantitative restrictions obtain for the same products with regard to the countries referred to in Regulation ( EEC ) No 288/82 .

Any amendments to the import arrangements in Spain for products which are not liberalized by the Community with regard to State-trading countries must be made in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down in Regulation ( EEC ) No 3420/83 , and without prejudice to the first subparagraph .

The Kingdom of Spain is not however required to reintroduce with regard to State-trading countries quantitative restrictions on imports for products liberalized with regard to those countries and which are still subject to quantitative restrictions with regard to member countries of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade .

3 . Until 31 December 1991 the Kingdom of Spain may retain , without prejudice to paragraphs 1 and 2 , quantitative restrictions on imports in the form of quotas for the products and amounts listed in Annex XV as temporary derogations from the common liberalization lists for imports contained in Regulations ( EEC ) No 288/82 , ( EEC ) No 1765/82 , ( EEC ) No 1766/82 and ( EEC ) No 3419/83 , as amended by Regulation ( EEC ) No 453/84 , provided that , as far as the countries which are members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade are concerned , these restrictions have been notified , before accession , in the context of that Agreement .

Imports of those products shall be subject in their entirety to the common liberalization lists in force on 1 January 1992 . The quotas shall be progressively increased until that date , in accordance with paragraph 4 .

4 . The minimum rate of progressive increase of quotas referred to in paragraph 3 shall be 17 % at the beginning of each year for quotas expressed in ECU and 12 % at the beginning of each year for quotas expressed in terms of volume . The increase shall be added to each quota and the following increase calculated on the total figure obtained .

Without prejudice to paragraphes 1 and 2 , where imports made in the course of two consecutive years are less than 90 % of the annual quotas opened in accordance with paragraph 3 , the Kingdom of Spain shall abolish the quantitative restrictions in force .

5 . The Kingdom of Spain shall retain quantitative restrictions on imports in the form of quotas with respect to all third countries for the products listed in Annex XVI which are not liberalized by the Community with regard to third countries and for which it retains quantitative restrictions on imports with regard to the Community as at present constituted , in respect of the amounts and at least until the dates laid down in that Annex .

Any amendments to the import arrangements in Spain for products referred to in the first subparagraph shall be made in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down by Regulation ( EEC ) No 288/82 and ( EEC ) No 3420/83 and without prejudice to paragraphs 1 and 2 .

6 . In order to comply with the obligations which devolve upon the Community under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade with regard to State-trading countries that are members of that Agreement , the Kingdom of Spain shall , where appropriate and in so far as is necessary , extend to the said countries the liberalizing measures it must take with regard to the other third country members of the Agreement , whilst taking into account agreed transitional measures .