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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(76)246final
I
Brussels.2June1976•
Proposalfora
COUNCILREGULATION(EEC)
ontheopeningof-tariffpreferencesintheformof
apartialsuspensionofcustomsdutiesforjute
manufactures originatinginIndia,Thailandand
Bangladeshandforcoirmanufactures originatingin
IndiaandSriLanka*
(submittedtotheCouncil "bytheCommission)
/
CCM(76)246final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.Council Regulation (EEC)No3007 /75of17November 1975 opens tariff
preferences intheform ofapartial suspension ofcustoms duties for
jute manufactures originating inIndia ,Thailand andBangladesh andfor
coir manufactures originating inIndia andSriLanka .
2.This measure falls within theframework oftheCommunity 'sgeneralised
system ofpreferences .Forjute andcoir products ,theCommunity 'soffer
toUNCTAD provides forexemption from customs duties only where special
arrangements have been made with theexporter developing countries .
TheAgreement between theCommunity andIndia onjute andcoir manufactures
and theAgreement between theCommunity andBangladesh onjute products
enabled tariff preferences tobeopened onanautonomous basis forthese
twocountries for theproducts inquestion .Attheexpiry ofthese
Agreements on31December 1975 ,itwasnevertheless considered appropriate ,
inthecontext ofthegenralised system ofpreferences for 1976 ,to
extend ,atleast forthefirst half of1976 ,thepreferential tariff
arrangements granted tothese same beneficiary countries inrespect
ofjute andcoit products ,with theaddition ofjute twine ,cordage ,
ropes andcables (tariff heading ex59.04 ).Inthecontext ofthis extension
andbecause ofthesatisfactory special measures already adopted ,Sri
Lanka wasgranted thesame preferential tariff arrangements asIndia
forcoir products andThailand wasgranted thesame preferential tariff
arrangements asBangladesh andIndia forjute products .
3.Theabove extension ofthepreferential tariff arrangements wasbased
ontheconsideration that negotiations would bestarted ingood time
fortheimplementation ofthespecial measures setoutontheoffer to
UNCTAD andthat ,inthis context ,theconditions which theCommunity
intended tonegotiate with thecountries concerned would beknown and
agreed on.
•••/•••
Official Journal oftheEuropean Communities NoL310 ,29«ll*1975 tp«46»

2
4.Thenegotiations with India concerning coir products have recently
been completed .Themain result isareduction of80%inthe
Common Customs Tariff duties asfrom 1July 1976 .
Thenegotiations with India concerning jute products arestill in
progress ,while those with Bangladesh areshortly tobegin .
5.Inthese circumstances ,theobjectives ofthis proposal for a
Regulation ,intheautonomous context ofthegeneralised system
ofpreferences for 1976 ,areasfollows :
asregards coir products ,tointroduce on 1July 1976 andapply
until theendofthecurrent preferences year ,.theabove reduction
of80% intheCommon Customs Tariff duties infavour ofIndia ,and
also SriLanka ;
asregards jute products ,toextend for thesame period ,the
provisional preferential tariff arrangements established for
thefirst half of1976 infavour ofIndia ,Bangladesh andalso
Thailand .
6.Asregards this extension inrespect ofjute products ,the
Commission wishes topoint outatthis time that itsspokesman
atthelevel oftheCouncil could adapt this proposal inthe
light ofdevelopments inthenegotiations with India andBangladesh ,
while ensuring tariff arrrangements noless favourable forThailand .
7.Concerning inpractice theextension ,inavery large measure ,
forthesecond half of1976 ,ofmeasures adopted forthefirst
half of1976 ,onthesubject ofwhich theEuropean Parliament was
consulted ,itdoes notnowseem necessary toundertake afurther
consultation .

Proposal for
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC)'
ontheopening oftariff preferences intheform ofapartial
suspension ofcustoms duties forjute manufactures originating
inIndia ,Thailand andBangladesh andforcoir manufactures
originating inIndia and SriLanka
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Whereas ,within thecontext ofUNCTAD ,theEuropean Economic Community
offered togrant tariff preferences onfinished andsemi-finished products
coming from developing countries ;whereas thepreferential treatment
proposed inthat offer covers ,asageneral rule,' allfinished andsemi­
finished industrial products covered byChapters 25to99oftheBrussels
Nomenclature which originate indeveloping countries ;
Whereas theoffer made bytheCommunity includes aclause stating that
theCommunity drew uptheoffer ontheassumption that all themain
industrialised countries which are members oftheOECD would participate
ingranting preferences andwould make similar efforts inthis direction ;
whereas ,moreover ,itisevident from theconclusions worked out inUNCTAD
that this offer ,while being ofatemporary nature ,does notconstitute
abinding commitment and ,inparticular ,maybewithdrawn wholly orinpart
atalater date ;whereas this possibility maybeadopted inter alia with
aview toremedying anyunfavourable situations which might arise inthe
ACPStates following theimplementation ofthegeneralised system of
preferences ;
Whereas ,however ,asregards jute andcoir products ,thesaid offer
includes theelimination ofcustoms duties only where special measures
have been made with theexporter developing countries ;

2
Wheres theAgreements concluded between theCommunity andIndia onjute
2andcoir manufactures expired on31December 1975 ;whereas ,pending the
conclusion ofanewagreement with India setting out ,inparticular ,the
conditions fortheimplementation oftheabove-mentioned special measures ,
theCommunity hasdecided that itisappropriate toextend forthefirst
3half ofthe 1976 preferences year thepreferential tariff arrangements m
force during 1975 ;whereas ,since thesituation inBangladesh asregards
jute products issubstantially thesame asthat described above ,thesame
arrangements have also been adopted for that country ;
Whereas thenegotiations with India inrespect ofcoir products have
recently been completed andprovide inparticular forareduction of80%in
theCommon Customs Tariff duties asfrom 1July 1976 ;whereas thai :reduction
should beapplied ontheabove date inthecontext
ofthegeneralised system ofpreferences ;whereas ,theprogress achieved in
thework onthenewnegotiations with India andBangladesh concerning jute
products suggests that atthepresent time thepreferential tariff
arrangments adopted forthefirst half of1976 should beextended only
until theendofthis year ;whereas ,because ofthespecial measures
adopted between theCommunity andSriLanka inrespect ofcoir manufactures
andbetween theCommunity andThailand inrespect ofjute manufactures ,the
adaptation orextension ofthecurrent preferential tariff arrangements can
also bedecided onforthose twocountries ;
4Whereas ,inaccordance with Protocol 23totheAct ofAccession the
generalised system ofpreferences became fully applicable inthenew
Member States on 1January 1974 ;
Whereas thebenefit ofthese suspension 8should berestricted tothesaid
products originating inIndia ,Bangladesh ,Thailand andSriLanka ,the
0JNoL82,27.3.1974 ,p.11
20JNoL82,27.3.1974 ,p.17
30JNoL310,29.11.1975 ,p.46.
40JNoL73,27.3.1972 ,p.14

3
concept oforiginating products "being determined inaccordance with the
procedure laid down inArticle 14ofCouncil Regulation (EEC)No802/68of
27June 1968 onthecommon definition oftheconcept oftheorigin of
goods' ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
Article 1
1.From 1July until 31December 1976 theCommon Customs Tariff onthe
products listed hereinafter shall besuspended atthefollowing pre­
ferential rates :
CCT Preferential
heading Description rates ofduty
No %
57.06 Yarn ofjute orofother textile bast 3.2
fibres ofheading No57.03
57.10 Woven fabrics ofjute orofother textile
bast fibres ofheading No57.03 :
A.Ofawidth ofnot more than 150 cmand
weighing perm2 :
I.Less than 310 g 8
II.Not less than 310 gbutnotmore than
500g 7.6
III .More than 500g 6
B.Ofawidth ofmore than 150 cm 11
58.02 Other carpets ,carpeting ,rugs ,mats and
matting ,and "Kelem ","Schumacks "and
"Karamanie "rugs andthelike (made upor
not ):
A.Carpets ,carpeting ,rugs ,mats andmatting :
exI.Coir mats andcoir matting andtufted
carpets ofcoir 4.6
Tufted carpets ofother textile bast
fibres ofheading No57.03 9.2
exII.Carpets ,carpeting ,rugs ,mats and
matting ,ofjute orofother textile
bast fibres ofheading No57.03 0
0♦•/•••
0JNoL148 ,28.6.1968 ,p. 1

ex59.04 Twine ,cordage ,ropes andcables ,plaited
ornot ,ofjute orofother textile bast
fibres ofheading No57.03 0
62.03 Sacks andbags ,ofakind used for the
packing ofgoods :
A.Ofjute orofother textile bast fibres
ofheading No57.03 :
II.Other :
a)Offabric weighing less than
310g/m2 ^ 8
b)Offabric weighing not less than
310 g/m2butnotmore than 500g/m2 7.6
c)Offabric weighing more than 500g/m2 6
2.Onimportation ofthesaid goods into Denmark andtheUnited Kingdom ,
theduties tobeapplied shall bethose oftheir customs tariff
suspended atthelevel ofthose applied in1973 .Fortextile products
falling within heading Nos57.06 and57.10 ,andsubheading 62.03 AII,
referred toinparagraph 1,Ireland shall align itsnational customs -
tariff duties ontheabovementioned preferential rates onthedates
andaccording tothetimetable fixed inArticle 39(1)and (2)ofthe
Act ofAccession .
3tThebenefit ofthesuspensions referred toinparagraph 1shall be
restricted toproducts originating inIndia until 30June 1976 .
Products originating inBangladesh andThailand ,except coir mats and
matting andtufted carpets ofcoir ,shall also benefit from these
suspensions .Coir mats andmatting andtufted carpets ofcoir
originating inSriLanka shall also benefit from thesuspensions .
Forthepurposes ofthis Regulaton ,theconcept of"originating
products "shall bedetermined inaccordance with theprocedure laid
down inArticle 14ofRegulation (EEC)No802/68.
Article 2
1.TheCommission ,inclose collaboration with theMember States ,shall
take allnecessary measures toensure that theforegoing provisions
areapplied .
•••/•••

5
2.TheMember States shall regulaiy inform theCommission ofimports
benefiting under thepreceding provisions .
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1July 1976 .
This Regulation shall bebinding initsentirety anddirectly
applicable inallMember States .
Done atBrussels , FortheCouncil
The President