No C 297/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 11.79 
ANNEX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
AMENDMENTS REJECTED: 
The following amendments were rejected during the discussion: 
1. First paragraph, second sentence (it therefore approves the Commission's proposal) to be 
replaced by the following: 
'The proposed Regulation needs further examination, however; it is necessary to determine 
whether this is really a Community problem and also to consider the consequences of the 
impending enlargement of the Community.' 
2. Second paragraph to be deleted. 
Reasons 
1. Aubergines do not come under the market regime for fruit and vegetables. Arrangements for 
aubergines should therefore be checked very carefully. The explanatory memorandum does not give 
any details about the common market for aubergines, mentioning only internal French problems 
and the flows of goods from the Antilles to the mother country France. This underlines the fact that 
this is clearly a regional and not a Community problem. 
2. The Committee should not, of its own accord, link any necessary Community aid for the 
production of aubergines, with the general problem of compensating for the Antilles' geographical 
location or above all with assistance connected with the recent cyclone. These are problems of a 
different nature. 
On a more general level, the Committee should refuse to deal with such a matter under urgency 
procedure. The Commission proposal is dated 2 July 1979, the Council asked for an opinion on 
20 August, members received the document on 17 September, the draft opinion of the rapporteur-
general, Mr Gavel, was received on 20 September and the Committee's opinion is to be delivered 
already on 25 September. The documents do not show any need for this subject to be dealt with as 
a matter of urgency. 
Result of the vote: 
for: 19; against: 23; abstentions: 11. 
Opinion on the Commission's proposals concerning the European Community's 
generalized tariff preferences scheme for 1980 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 234 of 17 September 1979. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 31 July 1979, the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
28. 11.79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 297/15 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
171st plenary session, held in Brussels on 26 and 27 September 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of 
the European Communities on 31 July 1979 for an 
opinion, 
Having regard to the decision of its Bureau on 
26 June 1979 to ask the Section for External 
Relations to prepare an opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion issued by that Section 
at its meeting on 11 September 1979, 
Having regard to the report submitted by the rapp­
orteur, Mr Dietmar Cremer, 
Having regard to the discussions at its 171st plenary 
session, held on 26 and 27 September 1979 (meeting 
of 26 September 1979), 
Having regard to previous ESC opinions on the 
matter, and in particular those of 26 October 1977 (x) 
and 29 November 1978 (2), 
Having regard to its opinion on the GATT multi­
lateral trade negotiations (3), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously with seven abstentions: 
Done at Brussels, 26 September 1979. 1. As regards the GSP proposals for the last year 
of the Community's 10-year offer to Unctad in 1969, 
the Committee would confirm the remarks it has 
made in its previous opinions on the subject, parti­
cularly those concerning the need to make the scheme 
more selective in the light of the products and the 
degree of development of individual countries so as to 
favour the poorest countries. 
2. The Committee is pleased that the Commission 
has taken note of two things in its GSP proposals for 
1980, namely: 
(a) the Community's responsibilities towards the 
developing countries; and 
(b) the economic situation in the Community, parti­
cularly as regards employment. 
3. The Committee cannot unreservedly support the 
Commission's proposal to include China on the list of 
GSP beneficiaries for 1980 as it does not have 
sufficient information available. 
4. The Committee will be coming back to the 
principle of the GSP and the procedures for applying 
it in practice in the second decade, and to the 
question of applying minimum standards as regards 
working conditions. In the meantime it would 
reiterate its demand in its opinion on the 1979 GSP 
proposals that 'all the countries concerned should 
recognize fundamental human rights and respect 
minimum standards laid down for working conditions 
by the ILO'. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Raffaele VANNI 
(') OJNoC 18,23. 1. 1978. 
(2) OJ No C 105, 26. 4. 1979. 
(3) OJNoC 126,28. 5. 1977.