9.8.75 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL212/17
COMMISSION DECISION
of10July1975
authorizingIrelandtotakeprotectivemeasuresunderArticle135oftheActconcerning
theconditionsofaccessionandtheadjustmentstotheTreaties,inrespectoffootwear
withuppersofleatherfallingwithinsubheading64.02AoftheCommonCustomsTariff
(OnlytheEnglishtextisauthentic)
(75/478/EEC)
THECOMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ;
HavingregardtotheActconcerningtheconditionsofaccessionandtheadjustmentsto
theTreaties,andinparticularArticle135thereof;
HavingregardtotheapplicationbyIrelandof24June1975thereof;
Whereasproduction,importsandexportsoffootwearhaveevolvedinrecentyearsas
follows:
Footwearwithuppersofleather
(1000pairs)
Year ProductionTotal
importsThird
country
importsUK
importsOther
EEC
importsTotal
exports
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
Jan.—March)7772
6982
6472
6602
6115
5890
1318(282)
(587)
(1089)
(1410)
1775
2126
570(14)
(40)
(48)
(i)
139
137
35(188)
(441)
(798)
1532
1769
445(80)
(106)
(243)
104
220
90(1776)
(1602)
(1970)
(2503)
2934
(633)
(')Statisticsnotavailable.
()Estimate.
Source:Irishstatistics.
Whereas,accordingtotheIrishapplication,the
situationdeterioratedseriouslyinthefirstmonthsof
1975;whereastheemploymentsituationisnowvery
serious;whereasofthe5000personsemployedin
thesectorin1973,approximately 1000havesince
losttheirjobsand30%ofthecurrentworkforceare
currentlyonshort-time;
Whereasproductionhascontinuedtodeclinein
generalsince1969,whileimportshaveregularly
increased;whereas,ascanbeseenfromtheabove
table,suchimportscomepredominantly fromthe
UnitedKingdombyreasonoftheleveloftariff
dismantlement achievedbythetwocountriesundertheAgreementbetweenIrelandandtheUnited
Kingdomestablishingafreetradearea;whereastotal
exportsincreasedfairlyregularlyoverthesame
periodbuthavesaggedintheearlymonthsof1975
asaconsequenceoftheeffectsofthecontractionof
externaldemand;
Whereasthedifficultiesinthissectorappeartostem
essentiallyfromanindustrialstructureill-adaptedto
internationalcompetitionandinparticulartothat
fromhighlyindustrialized countriestowardswhich
Irelandhasbeenandisobligedtodismantleher
tariffandquotaprotection;whereasthefootwear
industryinIrelandismadeupofnumeroussmall

NoL212/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 9.8.75
units,oftenlesswellequippedandorganizedthan
mightbe,producingtoowidearangeofproductsfor
averylimiteddomesticmarket,whichwassetup
initiallyintheshelterofaveryhighleveloftariff
andquotaprotection;whereasthissituationis
compoundedbytheeconomicrecession,whichhas
broughtaboutnotonlyareductionindomestic
demandbutalsoacontractionofthetraditional
externaloutletsoftheindustry;
Whereasinordertostimulatedomesticdemand
depressedbythegeneraleconomicrecessiontheIrish
Governmenthasrecentlyabolishedvalue-addedtax
onfootwear;whereasthismeasureisinsufficientto
overcomethedifficultiesinquestion;
WhereastheCommissionbyDecisionNo75/202/
EECof13March1975institutedasystemof
retrospectivecontrolofimportsofshoesintothe
Communityfromthirdcountries;whereasin
pursuanceofasuggestionfromtheCommission ,on
12June1975theIrishGovernmentintroduced
nationalsurveillanceunderArticle9ofCouncil
RegulationNo1439/74/EECof4June1974on
importsoffootwearfallingwithinCCTsubheading
64.02A;whereasthedatawhichwillthusbe
collectedwillbeofparticularutilityinfollowingthe
developmentofthesectorinquestion;
WhereastherequisiteconditionsexistinIreland,in
particularasregardsrawmaterialsandskilled
labour,forthemaintenanceanddevelopmentofa
footwearindustry,especiallyinleatherfootwear;
whereasinsuchcircumstances theCommission is
readytore-examinethesituationinclose
cooperationwiththeIrishGovernment ;whereasthis
re-examination shouldbecarriedoutinthelightof
aplanforthereorganization oftheindustryin
IrelandwhichtheIrishGovernment istosubmitto
theCommissionbefore1October1975;whereasin
thecontextofsuchre-examination theCommission
willconsiderthemobilization ofallmeansatits
disposal,andinparticularthoseavailableinthe
socialandregionalfields,tosupportthe
reorganization ofthefootwearindustryinIreland;
Whereasthefactorsdescribedabovewhichaffectthe
footwearindustryarelikelytobringabouta
worseningofthealreadyseriousdifficultieswhich
areliabletopersistinthesector;
Whereasuntilthere-examination referredtoabove
takesplaceitisnecessarybywayofinterim
protectivemeasuretoauthorizeIrelandtoapplya
rateofdutyof10°/otoleatherfootwearimported
fromandoriginatingintheUnitedKingdom,the
conceptoforiginbeingasdefinedintheprovisions
oftheAgreementbetweenIrelandandtheUnited
Kingdomestablishingafreetradearea;whereassuch
authorizationmustbelimitedtotheperiodduring
whichthereorganizationplanforthesectoristobedrawnupbytheIrishGovernmentandexamined,
thatistosayuntil31December1975;whereasthe
rateofdutyapplicabletofootwearoriginatingin
thirdcountriesandputintofreecirculationinthe
UnitedKingdomorimportedfromanyMember
Stateshouldbethatapplicableundertheprovisions
ofArticle31and32oftheActofAccession,namely
21-6%,
HASADOPTEDTHISDECISION :
Article1
1.Irelandisherebyauthorizedtoapplyuntil31
December1975arateofdutyof10°/otoimports
fromandoriginatingintheUnitedKingdomof
footwearwithuppersofleatherfallingwithin
subheading64.02AoftheCommonCustomsTariff.
2.Forthepurposesoftheprecedingparagraph,
theconceptoforiginshall,inaccordancewith
Article48oftheActconcerningtheconditionsof
accessionandtheadjustmentstotheTreaties,beas
definedinrespectofsuchgoodsintheAgreement
betweenIrelandandtheUnitedKingdomestablishing
afreetradeareasignedon14December1965,and
intheAgreementsthereto.
Article2
1.IrelandshallnotifytheCommission
immediatelyofthemeasurestakeninapplicationof
Article1.
2.IrelandshallinformtheCommission ofthe
developmentofthesituationinthesectorconcerned
andshallforwardtotheCommissionaplanforthe
reorganization ofthefootwearindustrywhichit
intendstohavedrawnupby1October1975.
Article3
1.TheCommission shallreviewthepresent
Decisionnotlaterthan1November1975.
2.Withoutprejudicetothereviewprovidedforin
theprecedingparagraph,theCommissionmay
amendorrevokethepresentDecisionifitfindsthat
theconditionswhichledtoitsadoptionhave
changedorthatitseffectsprovetobemore
restrictivethanitspurposerequires.
Article4
ThisDecisionisaddressedtoIreland.
DoneatBrussels,10July1975.
FortheCommission
ThePresident
Francois-Xavier ORTOLI