NoL74/20 19.3.74 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
COMMISSION DECISION
of18February1974
ontheapplicationtotheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthern
IrelandofArticle37oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanCoalandSteel
Community
(74/134/ECSC)
Whereasinordertomeetthesituationalicensing
systemtolimitdeliveriestootherMemberStatesas
wellastothirdcountriesshouldbeestablished ;
whereastheregimetobeappliedwithregardtoother
MemberStatesmustundernocircumstances bemore
restrictivethanthatrelatingtothirdcountries;
WhereasthemeasurestakenunderArticle37arejusti­
fiedonlywhilethespecialandexceptionalsituation
referredtoaboveremainsinexistance;whereas,more­
over,toassumetheresponsibility fallingonitunder
Article37oftheTreatyandtoensuretheleastdistur­
bancetotheoperationofthecommonmarket,the
Commissionmustbeabletocontroltheapplication
ofthisDecisionandtorevokeoralterthemeasures
takeniftheyexceedthatwhichisnecessarytodeal
withthesituationreferredtoinArticle37orifthey
arecontrarytoessentialinterestsoftheCommunity
ortocertainpartsofitparticularlyaffected;
Whereas,finally,themeasurestakenunderArticle37
mustbeofanabsolutelyexceptionalkindandof
limiteddurationandwhereas,consequently ,thisDeci­
sionmustceasetoremaininoperationon15July
1974atthelatest,THECOMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
CoalandSteelCommunity andinparticular
Article37;
Havingregardtotheapplicationof8February1974,
bywhichtheUnitedKingdomnotifiedtheCommis­
sionoftheseriousandexceptionaldifficultiesexisting
intheUnitedKingdomcoalandsteelsectorsand
which,intheopinionofthatGovernment ,aresuchas
topresentanactualriskofengenderingfundamental
andcontinuingdisturbancesintheUnitedKingdom
economy ;
HavingconsultedtheCounciloftheEuropean
Communities ;
Whereastheeventsthathavetakenplaceinthe
UnitedKingdomsincethelastmonthsof1973,have
broughtaboutasharpfallintheproductionofcoal
andcokesuchastoendangernormalsuppliestothe
UnitedKingdomeconomyandtoengenderfunda­
mentalandcontinuingdisturbances ;whereasthe
worldenergysituationdoesnotpermitalternative
sourcesofsupplytobefoundatshortnoticeforthe
UnitedKingdomeconomy;whereastheseevents
involvedaconsiderable reductionintheUnited
Kingdomindustrialsteelproduction ;
Whereasipsuchconditionstheeconomicsituationin
theUnitedKingdomwouldbeaggravatedbydeliv­
eriesofcoalandsteelproductstootherMember
Statesinaccordancewiththesystemoffreecircula­
tionofgoodssuchasisprovidedforbytheECSC
TreatyandtheActannexedtotheTreatyofAcces­
sion;
Whereasinordertodiminishtheconsequences ofthe
situationitisnecessarytoenvisageappropriate
measurestocovertheseriousandexceptionaldiffi­
cultieswhichtheUnitedKingdomcoalandsteel
productioniscurrentlyexperiencing ;whereas,taking
intoaccountthenormalmeansofactionprovidedfor
intheTreaty,thesituationissuchastoengender
fundamental andcontinuingdisturbances inthe
UnitedKingdomeconomyiftheCommissiondoes
notintervenebymeansofmeasurestakenunder
Article37oftheTreaty;HASADOPTEDTHISDECISION :
Article1
1.TheCommissionrecognisesthattheseriousand
exceptionaldifficultiesfacingtheUnitedKingdomin
thecoalandsteelsectorsaresuchastoinducefunda­
mentalandcontinuingdisturbances intheUnited
KingdomeconomyiftheCommissiondoesnotinter­
veneunderArticle37oftheTreaty.
2.Inordertobringthissituationtoanend,the
Commission considersitnecessarytoapplythe
measuresdefinedinthefollowingArticles.
Arlidc2
TheUnitedKingdomshallestablish,inrespectof
thoseproductsreferredtoinArticle81oftheTreaty,
withtheexceptionofthoseunderheadingNo73.03
oftheECSCunifiedtariff,alicencesysteminorder
to:

19.3.74 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL74/21
—limitexportsofsuchproductstothirdcountries;
—controland,insofarasisnecessary,limitdeliv­
eriesofsuchproductstootherMemberStates—
suchsystemmayhoweverundernocircumstances
bemorerestrictiveasfaraseachproductis
concernedthanthatappliedtoexportstothird
countries .—thesituationreferredtoinArticle1hasalteredor
ceasedtoexist;
—themeasurestakeninapplicationoftheprovi­
sionsofthisDecisionexceedwhatisnecessaryto
dealwiththesituationreferredtoinArticle1;
—applicationofthisDecisioniscontrarytoessential
interestsoftheCommunityortocertainpartsofit
particularilyaffected.
2.TheCommissionshallreviewthewholeposition
threemonthsafterthisDecisionhasenteredinto
force.Article3
1.TheUnitedKingdomshallnotifytheCommis­
sionimmediatelyofthosemeasurestakeninapplica­
tionofArticle2andshallinformtheCommission
regularlyconcerningtheapplicationofsuchmeasures.
2.TheUnitedKingdomshallinformtheCommis­
sionofthedevelopment ofthesituationreferredtoin
Article1andparticularlyofthepositionwithregard
tostocks,productionandimports.Article6
WithoutprejudicetotheapplicationofArticle5,this
Decisionshallremaininoperationuntil15July1974.
Article4Article7
ThisDecisionisaddressedtotheMemberStates.1.TheCommissionshallensurethattheprovisions
ofthisDecisionareapplied,inparticularwithregard
tothedrawing-upanduseoflicences.
2.TheCommissionshall,asappropriate ,adoptthe
provisionsnecessaryfortheapplicationofthisDeci­
sion.DoneatBrussels,18February1974.
FortheCommission
Article5
1.TheCommissionmayalterorrevokethisDeci­
sionifitdeterminesthatThePresident
Francois-Xavier ORTOLI