18. 2. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 41/43 
The present rules, which are based solely on the capacity of the vessels to be scrapped, should therefore be 
retained. It should also be pointed out that the rates specified in this annex are merely the maximum amounts 
by which the Member States can be reimbursed by the Community in respect of these measures. The Member 
States are otherwise free to set the total amount of scrapping premiums. 
Result of the voting 
For: 26, against: 52, abstentions: 15. 
Opinion on the proposal from the Commission to the Council fixing the Community's 
generalized tariff preferences scheme for 1991 
(91/C 41/14) 
On 30 October 1990 the Council of the European Communities decided to consult the 
Economic and Social Committee, on a voluntary basis, on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for External Relations, Trade and Development Policy, which was responsible 
for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 16 November 
1990. The Rapporteur was Mr Liverani. 
At its 281st plenary session (meeting of 20 November 1990), the Economic and Social 
Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1. The Committee would again express its support 
for the generalized system of preferences (GSP) as an 
effective instrument designed, in conjunction with other 
measures, to promote development in less developed 
countries (LDC). It is an essential complement to the 
financial and economic cooperation instruments set up 
by the Community in its relations with the developing 
countries, in particular those that are not otherwise 
formally associated with it. 
2. The Committee considers that given that 1991 is 
the last year in which the 1981-1990 scheme is appli­
cable, significant changes this time round cannot be 
expected. 
3. The Committee recalls, however, that in recent 
years, when consulted on the coming year's draft GSP 
scheme, it has been critical on several counts, and would 
urge that the doubts which it then expressed about the 
effectiveness of the present system, and its requests 
for bold changes in the new scheme, should not be 
overlooked when the new scheme is applied in 1992. 
The Committee has, in fact, consistently called for a 
more concentrated and selective approach so as to 
produce benefits commensurate with the cost of the 
scheme and to neutralize any negative effects on the 
least-developed areas in the Community. It has insisted that countries whose per capita Gross Domestic Product 
(GDP) is higher than that of a Community country or 
with a consistent balance of payments surplus should 
immediately be excluded from the GSP. 
4. The Committee accepts that specific procedures 
for implementing the new guidelines cannot immedi­
ately be implemented and thus find their place in a 
Community's GSP scheme until the outcome of the 
current Uruguay Round negotiations of the General 
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) are clearer. 
This being the case, the Committee can only go along 
with the Commission in its proposal to leave in large 
measure unchanged the economic part of the various 
schemes implemented in 1990, and merely to include 
adjustments which necessarily arise from the appli­
cation of the differential criteria begun in 1990. 
5. With regard to the proposal to use, for the second 
time, the GSP as an instrument of EC policy vis-a-vis 
Eastern European countries, the Committee can under 
present circumstances only support the Commission's 
proposal to extend to Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia the 
assistance already in place, through the GSP, for Poland 
and Hungary, so that they can, through easier access 
to the Community market, increase exports and speed 
up industrial productivity. 
No C 41/44 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 2. 91 
At the same time, one should not underestimate the 
major impact which these EC decisions could have 
on certain production sectors in the Member States, 
particularly the textiles industry and agriculture. 
The Committee considers that discussion of the 
guidelines for the 1990s should include a serious 
reconsideration of the tendency to abuse the GSP, 
as it was originally conceived and over the years 
implemented, to increase export earnings, promote 
Done at Brussels, 20 November 1990. 
1. Introduction — The Commission proposal 
1.1. The Commission proposal is quite a simple one. 
1.2. The existing Regulation (EEC) No 3975/87 lays 
down a procedure whereby, as a result of a complaint 
received or on its own initiative, the Commission shall 
initiate proceedings to terminate any infringement of 
Articles 85(1) or 86 of the Treaty in relation to inter­
national air-transport services between Community air­
ports. One step in this procedure is the consultation of 
(*) OJ No C 155, 26. 6. 1990, p. 7. industrialization, and accelerate economic growth in 
developing countries. Indeed, the Committee regrets 
that it was not consulted by the Council when the 
GSP was first extended to cover countries which are 
not part of the developing countries group. In the 
Committee's view, the new association agreements 
currently under discussion between the Community 
and certain Eastern European countries, are a 
far more appropriate instrument to meet the same 
need. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois STAEDELIN 
an advisory committee on agreements and dominant 
positions in air transport prior to the taking of any 
decision on the matter. Such consultation could take 
up to four, or even six, months. 
1.3. The proposed Council Regulation would 
empower the Commission to dispense with this particu­
lar step in the procedure where it has reason to believe 
that the practices under investigation would threaten 
the viability of an air service or the existence of an air 
carrier. 
1.4. Any measures taken under this modified pro­
cedure would only be interim ones. They could only 
apply for a period of up to six months. If renewal were 
sought, the advisory committee would have to be Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) No 3975/87 laying down the 
procedure for the application of the rules on competition to undertakings 
in the air-transport sector (*) 
(91/C 41/15) 
On 26 June 1990 the Council decided, in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing 
the European Economic Community, to ask the Economic and Social Committee for an 
Opinion on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for the Committee's 
preparatory work, adopted its Opinion on 14 November 1990. The Rapporteur was Mr 
Whitworth. 
At its 281st plenary session (meeting of 20 November 1990), the Economic and Social 
Committee adopted the following Opinion unanimously.