COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0H C89) 169 final 
Brussels,25 April 1989 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
totally suspending certain customs duties 
applicable by the Community of Ten 
to imports from Spain and Portugal 
(prtstnttd by the Commission) 
COMMUNICATION TO THE COMMISSION 
1. In December 1988 the Council authorized the Commission to begin negotiations 
with Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland for the 
-. conclusion of additional protocols to the free trade Agreements between the 
Community and those countries in order to enable then to suspend totally 
their customs duties on imports from Spain of products covered by the 
Agreements. 
Those protocols are now being concluded. 
2. By Regulation (EEC) No 839/88 of 28 March 1988' the Council has already 
suspended totally the customs duties applied by the Community of Ten to 
industrial products and fishery products imported from Spain and Portugal 
once the level of such customs duties falls to 2 X or less. 
3. By Regulation (EEC) No 3482/88 of t* November 1988 (2), the Council has 
already suspended by 5 points the customs duties that the Community of Ten 
applied on the importation of preparations and preserves of sardines from 
Spain and Portugal. 
4a Spain has requested that the Ten should^also suspend totally the customs 
duties on industrial products and fishery products. 
5; In the interests of simplification and uniformity, it is proposed that 
Portuguese products - for which the tariff dismantling process is not yet 
complete - should also be covered by the total suspension of customs duties. 
! > 
6. The result of the proposed measure on the following products, originating 
in the countries indicated below, will be that the customs duties will also 
be removed (application of the additional protocoles of 1987/1988) : 
- Algeria Tunas, prepared and preserved (CN Codes 1604 14 10 and 
1604 20 70) 
- Egypt Shrimps, fresh of frozen (CN Codes 0306 13 and 0306 23) 
-•Tunisia Tunas, prepared and preserved (CN Codes 1604 14 10 and 
1604 20 70) 
Community statistics for 1987 do not however mention any importations from 
the above countries. 
1 
2 0J L 87, 31.3.1988, p. 1. 
0J No L 306 of 11.11.1988, p. 1. 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 
1. In December 1988 the Council authorized the Commission to begin negotiations 
with Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland for the 
.conclusion of additional protocols to the free trade Agreements between the 
. Community and those countries in order to enable them to suspend totally 
their customs duties on imports from Spain of products covered by the 
Agreements. 
Those protocols are now being concluded. 
2. By Regulation (EEC). No 839/88 of 28 March 1988 the Council has already 
suspended totally the customs dut-*tfs~applied by the Community of Ten to 
industrial products and fishery products imported from^Spain and Portugal 
once the level of such customs duties falls to 2 X or less. 
3. By Regulation (EEC) No 3482/88 of 7 November 1988 (2), the Council has already 
suspended by 5 points the customs duties that the Community of Ten applied on 
the importation of preparations and preserves of sardines from Spain and 
Portugal. 
*• Spain has requested that the Ten should also suspend totally the customs 
duties on industrial products and fishery products. 
5. ïn the interests of simplification and uniformity, it is proposed that 
. Portuguese products - for which the tariff dismantling process is not yet 
• complete - should also be covered by the total suspension of customs duties. 
°- For the foregoing reasons the Commission proposes that the attached proposal 
for a Regulation be adopted. 
1 OJ L 87, 31.3.1988, p. 1. 
OJ No L 306 of 11.11.1988, p. 1 
J» Proposal for 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 
of 
totally suspending certain customs duties applicable by the Community of Ten 
to imports from Spain and Portugal 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, 
Having regard to the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, and in particular 
Articles 33 and 192 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Whereas the progressive dismantling of Spanish tariffs has notably improved 
access to the hitherto heavily protected Spanish market; whereas, however, 
the economic impact of the progressive reductions in the customs duties applied 
by the Ten to imports of Spanish industrial products is relatively modest 
because of the low level of the basic customs duties; 
Whereas in the interests of parallelism and non-discrimination identical measures 
should be applied in respect of Portuguese industrial products for which customs 
duties have not yet been abolished; 
Whereas measures should be taken to improve the new Member States' trade deficit. 
Whereas by Regulation (EEC) No 3482/88 of 7 November 1988 (1), the Council has 
already defined a specific system of partial suspension of customs duties for 
preparations and preserves of sardines, , 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : 
Article 1 
The collection of customs duties applicable in the Community of Ten pursuant to 
the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal to imports of the following products, 
from Spain and Portugal, shall be totally suspended : 
- products listed in Annex II to the Treaty in so far as they are the subject of 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3796/81 of 29 December 1981 on the common organiza­
tion of the market in fishery products (2), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) 
No ....;'.' (3), excluding preparations and preserves of sardines 
of codes 1604 13 10 and ex 1604 20 50 (4) of the.Combined Nomenclature, 
- products not listed in Annex II to the Treaty, 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 July 1989. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all 
Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the Council 
The President 
(1) 0J No I 306 of 11.11.1988, p. 1.. 
(2) 0J. No L 379 of 31.12.1981, p. 1.V. 
(4) T*RIC codes 1604 20 50*11 and 1604 20 50*19, applicable on the date of entry into V 
force of the present Regulation. 
FICHE D'IMPACT SUR LA COMPETITIVITE ET L'EMPLOI 
La suspension totale des droits de douane résiduels sur les produits 
industriels et les produits de la pêche importés de l'Espagne dans les 
Dix pourrait avoir un certain effet sur la compétitivité et l'emploi, 
le désarmement tarifaire complet n'étant prévu que pour le 1er janvier 
1993 (le 1er janvier 1996 pour certaines conserves de poissons). 
Pour le Portugal, l'impact serait beaucoup plus inférieur parce que les 
produits industriels portugais bénéficient déjà de l'exemption dans les 
Dix. 
FICHE FINANCIERE 
1. Ligne budgétaire concernée : Chap. 12 art. 120 
2. Base juridique : art. 33 et 192 de l'acte d'adhésion de l'Espagne et du 
Portugal 
3- Intitulé de la mesure tarifaire : 
Proposition de règlement du Conseil portant suspension totale de certains 
droits de douane applicables par la Communauté à Dix aux importations de 
l'Espagne et du Portugal 4 
4. Objectif : accélérer le désarmement tarifaire entre les Dix et l'Espagne 
ainsi que le Portugal. 
5. Pertes de recettes : 
Le projet de règlement du Conseil concerne les droits de douane basés sur 
la nouvelle nomenclature combinée, pour laquelle des données statistiques 
exactes quant aux importations en provenance de l'Espagne et du Portugal 
dans la Communauté dans sa composition au 31 décembre 1985 ne sont pas 
encore disponibles. 
Sur la base des importations totales, du nombre des lignes tarifaires 
concernées, de l'évolution du désarmement tarifaire ainsi que du fait que 
les droits de douane (D.D.) égaux ou inférieurs à 2 X sont suprimés lors 
de chaque réduction tarifaire (Règlement (CEE) N° 839/88 du Conseil du 
28 mars 1988 - J.O. n° L 87 du 31.3.1988, p. 1), les pertes en D.D. sont 
estimées comme suit : 
a) Année 1989 (période du 1er juillet au 31 décembre); 43.959.000 Ecu 
b) Année 1990 : 27.814.000 Ecu 
c) Années 1991 et 1992 : 
négligeables du fait de l'application du Règlement N° 839/88 précité. 

Commission of the European Communities 
COM(89) 169 final 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
totally suspending certain customs duties applicable by the Community 
of Ten to imports from Spain and Portugal 
(submitted to the Council by the Commission) 
25.4.1989 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L - 2985 Luxembourg 
Series: DOCUMENTS 
1989 — 6 pp. — Format: 21.0 * 29.7 cm 
EN 
ISSN 0254-1475 
ISBN 92-77-48883-2 
Catalogue number: CB-CO-89-166-EN-C 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(89) 169 final 
DOCUMENTS 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
totally suspending certain customs duties 
applicable by the Community of Ten to imports 
from Spain and Portugal 
(submitted to the Council by the Commission) 
02 11 
Catalogue number: CB-CO-89-166-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-48883-2 25.4.1989 
€ 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES