NoL32/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.2.76
COMMISSION DECISION
of22December 1975
authorizingIrelandtotakeprotectivemeasuresinrespectoffootwearwith
uppersofleather,fallingwithinCommonCustomsTariffsubheading64.02A,
underArticle135oftheActconcerningtheconditionsofaccessionandthe
adjustmentstotheTreaties
(OnlytheEnglishtextisauthentic)
(76/176/EEC)
THECOMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,
HavingregardtotheActconcerningtheconditionsofaccessionandtheadjustmentsto
theTreaties,andinparticularArticle135thereof,
HavingregardtoCommissionDecision75/478/EECof10July1975authorizingIreland,
underArticle135oftheabovementioned Act,toapplyfortheperioduntil31December
1975arateofdutyof10%toimportsofcertainfootwearfromandoriginatinginthe
UnitedKingdom,
HavingregardtotheapplicationbyIrelandof1December1975,
Whereasproductionimportsandexportsoffootwearhaveevolvedinrecentyearsas
follows:
Subheading64.02A(1000pairs)
ProductionTotal
importsExportsApparent
consumption%Import
penetration%Shareofimports
UKOther
Member
StatesThird
countries
1973 6115 17752683520734-186-2 5-97-9
1974 589021262934508241-883-210-36-5
1974January—March1794 566(831)152937-0830 9-57-5
April—June1545 589(761)137342-979-7 1337-0
July—September1262 571(713)112051084-5906-5
October—December 1289 400(629)106037-786-2 9-34-5
1975January—March1318 569(633)125445-478-415-6 6-0
April—June1126 504(663)96752164-722-1 13-2
July—September (1050)(■)565(516)109951-487-4 6-85-8
(Estimation)
(')Basedonfallinemployment .
Sonne:CentralStatisticsOffice,Dublin.
Whereasintheperiodsincetheassessmentofthesitu­
ationmadeintheCommissionDecisionof10July
1975,theIrishfootwearindustryhascontinuedto
encounterseriousdifficultieswhichareliableto
persist;whereastheemploymentsituationremains
verydisquieting ;whereassincethen500personshave
losttheirjobssothatofthe5000personsemployed
inthesectorin1973,approximately 1500havelost
theirjobsuptoOctober1975,whichrepresentsa
30%dropinthework-force ;whereasaccordingto
informationsuppliedbyIrelandthelossofafurther
310jobsisimminent ;Whereasthefootwearsector,althoughrelativelysmall
numerically ,iscomposedofnumeroussmallunits
situatedmainlyintheregions;whereasthedifficulties
encountered asaresultofthelossofjobshavea
disproportionate effectintheregionsofIrelandwhere
thefootwearsectoroftenrepresentsthemainifnot
theonlylocalsourceofemployment ;
Whereasproductiondeclinedby30%inthefirsthalf
of1975comparedtothesameperiodin1974and
declinedfurtherinthethirdquarterof1975;whereas
exportsforthefirstthreequartersof1975droppedby

6.2.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL32/23
whereasthetariffrateswhichmightbeestablishedfor
thefirstnewstepon1July1976mightbehigher
thanthoseprovidedforintheActofAccession;
whereasthoseforthesecondstepon1January1977
mightbelessthanthoseprovidedforintheabove­
mentionedAct.
WhereasinordertoenabletheCommissiontofully
assesstheeconomicandcommercialsituationofthe
Irishfootwearsectorontheoccasionofthere-exami­
nationreferredtoaboveitisnecessarytohaveavail­
ablethemostrecentandreliablestatisticaldataon
importsofallfootwear;whereastoenableIrelandto
collectsuchdatainthemosteffectivewayitisneces­
sarytoauthorizeIrelandtoestablishanautomatic
licensingsysteminrespectofimportsofallfootwear;
Whereasthisauthorization shallbelimitedtothe
periodduringwhichtheplanforthereorganization of
thesectorshallbedrawnupbyIrelandandexamined
bytheCommission ,thatistosayuntil30June1976,
HASADOPTED THISDECISION :
Article1
Irelandisauthorizeduntil30June1976toapplythe
followingratesofdutyinrespectofimportsoffoot­
wearwithuppersofleatherfallingwithinCommon
CustomsTariffsubheading64.02A:20%comparedwith1974,whereasimportsfalling
underCCTsubheading64.02Aonlydeclinedby1%
duringthatsameperiod,havinginfactincreasedby
12%duringtheAugust-September 1975period.
WhereasalthoughtheUnitedKingdomremainsthe
largestexportertotheIrishmarket,itsshareofleather
footwearimports(CCTsubheading64.02A)inthe
firstthreequartersof1975comparedwiththesame
threequartersin1974declinedby6-8%from
82-4%to76-8%;whereasinthesameperiodthe
sharetakenbyimportsfromotherMemberStates
increasedby39-6%from10-6%to14-8%while
thattakenbyimportsfromthirdcountriesincreased
by18-5%from7-0%to8-3%.
Whereastheinformation availabletotheCommission
showsthatthesituationwithintheIrishfootwear
industryhasnotimprovedsincetheCommission
Decisionandthattheseriousdifficultiestowhichit
referredstillsubsist.
WhereasithasnotbeenpossibleforIrelandtohave
drawnupandsubmittedtotheCommissionbefore1
October1975aplanforthereorganization ofthe
sectorconcernedasprovidedforunderArticle2,
secondparagraphoftheCommission Decision
referredtoabove;whereasIreland,inacommunica­
tiondated7November1975concerningthedevelop­
mentofthefootwearsector,informedtheCommis­
sionthatithadcommissioned afirmofmanagement
consultantstodrawupthereorganization plan;
whereasinviewofthecomplexityofthematter
Irelandconsidersitwillnotbeinapositiontosubmit
theplantotheCommissionbeforeMarch1976;
whereastheCommission willreviewthesituationin
thelightofthereorganization pjan;
Whereasinsuchcircumstances thefulltariffreduc­
tionsduetobeeffectedunderCommunityLawon1
January1976,inparticularundertheprovisionsofthe
ActofAccession,upontheexpiryoftheCommission
Decisionof10July1975,wouldexposetheIrishfoot­
wearsectortostillmoresevereconditionsofcompeti­
tionwhichwouldaggravatethealreadyseriousdiffi­
cultiesencounteredinthissector;whereastheprolon­
gationofprotectivemeasureswouldensuretothe
extentpossiblethemoststableconditionsduringthe
drawingupandimplementation byIrelandofthereor­
ganizationplan;
Whereasthereorganization ofthefootwearindustry
inIrelandisliabletobejeopardizedbyabrupttariff
reductions ;whereasinconnectionwiththeCommis­
sionexaminationofthereorganization planreferred
toabove,before1July1976,anewtariffreduction
timetablerunninguntil1July1977mightbeconsid­
ered;whereassuchatimetablemightconsistoftwo
newstepson1July1976,and1January1977,in
ordertobringaboutmoreprogressivetariffreduction;Importsfrom
United
KingdomOther
Member
StatesFullrate
From1January1976 9% 18-4%2.V5%
Article2
Irelandisauthorizedtoestablishalicensingsystemin
respectofallimportsofallfootwear.Suchlicences
shallbeissuedfreeofcostandwithoutdelay.
Article3
1.IrelandshallnotifytheCommissionwithout
delayofthosemeasurestakeninapplicationofArti­
cles1and2.
2.IrelandshallforwardtotheCommission before
1March1976theplanforthereorganization ofthe
footwearsectorwhichitshalldrawup.
3.IrelandshallinformtheCommission regularly
onthedevelopment ofthesituationinthesector
concerned,particularlywithregardtotheresultsof
thesurveillance authorizedunderArticle2.

NoL32/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.2.76
Article4 Article5
ThisDecisionisaddressedtoIreland.
DoneatBrussels,22December1975.
FortheCommission1.TheCommission shallreviewthisDecisionnot
laterthan1June1976.
2.Withoutprejudicetothereviewprovidedforin
theprecedingparagraph,theCommission may
modifyorrevokethisDecisionifitdeterminesthat
theconditionswhichledtoitsadoptionhavechanged
orthatitseffectsprovetobemorerestrictivethanits
purposerequires.ThePresident
Francois-Xavier ORTOLI