ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (81)108
Vol.1981/0030

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Community and theEuropean Atomic Energy Community (OJ L43,15.2.1983, p.1),as
amended byRegulation (EC, Euratom) No1700/2003 of22September 2003 (OJ L243,
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InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr.354/83 desRates vom 1.
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COM(81)108final
COMMISSION
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Strasb°urg,11th March 1981
FOR OFFIClALUSE ONLY
General Secretariat
y»*"
U.S. EXPORTS
(Commission report totheCouncil )
C0M(81 )108final

1. Inconformity with theCouncil declaration of16December 1n
relation tocertain Imports from theUnited States ,preliminary discussions
took place inWashington 9-10 February between Commission representatives
andthe U.S. Administration and contacts have since been continued .
2. TheCommission hasreiterated theCommunity 'sconcern about the
U.S. energy pricing policy andexport restrictions andtheelement ofar­
tificial advantages given toU.S. exporters forarange ofproducts such as
synthetic textiles and .also certain chemical products . '
3. TheU.S. side hasreferred tothedecontrol on28January ofU.S.
oilprices .This decision meant that thecost advantage enjoyed byU«S.
industrial users ofcrude oil,which reached apeak of%6.2/barrel (compared
with aU.S. import price of%33.4 /barrel )inMarch 1980 andwasstill an
estimated I3.5/barrel inDecember ,hasnowbeen eliminated .
, tl. ' •
V»' *
4. Theoverall problem caused byU.S. price controls inthepetrochemical
andsynthetic textiles sector hasthus been reduced inmagnitude ,although
therelative importance ofoilandnatural gasprice controls differs from
oneproduct toanother .Theoilprice decontrol haseliminated the feed stock
cost advantage forthose synthetic
fibre products such asnylon which arederived exclusively from oilaswell
asforaromatics (benzene ,toluene ,xylenes )anddownstream petrochemical deriv
atives andforpropylene and itsderivatives .Synthetic fibres such as
polyamids ,polyester ,polyacrylics aremade from feedstocks which mayinclude
varying proportions ofoilandgas.Thedecision constitutes afirst real
step towards elimination ofartificial cost advantages enjoyed bytheU.S.
petrochemical andtextile producers .What remains inthefield ofdual pricing
istheprice control onnatural gasanditseffect ontheprice ofethane and
energy .Avery considerable feedstock cost advantage remains forammonia ,
methanol andethylene which areallthree produced 1nlarge quantities intheUS
Incases where theenergy forchemical processes isbased onnatural gas
(90XoftheU.S. petrochemical industry islocated ontheGulf coast andbased
onnatural gasforenergy ),thecorresponding energy cost advantage (1)will
remain andwill only diminish gradually with deregulation .Asregards synthetic
fibres ,1t1sdlffcult toquantify theeffect ofcrude oilprice decontrol on
<1)It1srecalled that theenergy requirements forsynthetic fibre production
areparticularly high .

costs,particularlytheenergycost.Anestimateoftheeffectonthe
totalpreviousdualpricingcostadvantagewouldbe2SX-50%.
5.Twoproblemsremain1nthiscontext;thefactthatnaturalgas
pricesarenotduetobedecontrolleduntil1985andexportrestrictions
onnaphtha.
6.Thenewadministration iscommittedtoamorerapiddecontrolof
naturalgaspricingandisurgentlyconsideringtheformandtimingof
thelegislativeproposalswhichwillbenecessary.TheU.S.administration
isalsourgentlyexaminingthemodalitiesofliberalising exportsoflight
paraffinicnaphtha.
7.Suchaliberalisation ofexportsofparaffinicnaphthaswouldrepresent
•gestureofgoodwillbytheU.S.sideinthecontextofour6ATTconsultations
andcould,undercertainconditions,leadtoanarrowingofthegapbetween
pricelevelsinEuropeandtheU.S.forfeedstocksintheproductionofethylene,
themajorpetrochemical intermediate (paraffinicnaphthainEC,paraffinic
naphthaandethanegasinU.S.).TheCommissionhas,however,pointedoutthat
itwouldnotaffecttheotherelementsofcostadvantagewhichU.S.producers
derivefromgaspricecontrolsviz.cheaperfuel,cheapermethanefeedstocks).
Itwouldthusrepresentonlyapossible,partialsolutiontotheproblemscaused
bygaspricecontrols.
8.Inthemeantimethefact-finding workoftheU.S.-ECadhocstudygroup
onpetrochemicals iscontinuing.Itssecondmeetingwilltakeplaceon18,19
March1981.
9.InsofarasU.S.textileexportstotheEECwereconcerned,itemerged
fromastatisticalexaminationwiththeU.S.administration *thatexportsof
U.S.textileandclothingtotheEEChadonthewholepeakedinthefirsthalf
of1980andthatadecliningtrendhadsincebecomeevident.Inbusinesscircles
therewasaconsensusthatprospectsforU.S.textileandclothingexportsto
theCommunityduring1981werelessfavourablethanduring1980.Amongthe
contributing factorstothesediminishingexpectations werethedeepening
recessioninWesternEurope,therecentriseinthevalueoftheU.S.dollarand
tentativeevidenceofalikelyupturnintheU.S.economyduringthesecond
halfof1981.
(1)SeeUSstatisticaltablesinannex,whicharebasedfor1980onJanuaryto
NovemberdataandwhichdonotentirelycorrespondwithECimportstatistics.

10. The Commission has however drawn theattention oftheU.S.
administration tothefact that U.S. exports ofcertain products 1n
certain areas ofthe Community hadstill shown very large increases
1ntheIbst quarter of1980 compared with theyear before with ahigh
andIncreasing level ofmarket penetration .This hadgiven rise toa
substantial degree ofapprehension incertain member States andtheU.S.
administration agreed on9and 10February toconvey this concern to
the U.S. textile industry .
10b1s
The Commission hasconsidered Carefully andindetail thevarious options
forfurther action InGATT .Itconsiders that thesituation Indicated above
does not,atpresent ,justify newprotective Measures onageneral ,Community -
wide basis andthatit1sdifficult tosee,ontheevidence available ,what
unilateral action consistent with theprovisions ofGATT could betaken .Where
appropriate ,anti-dumping orcountervailing measures arepossibilities open to
the Community (1).Other ways ofpursuing these issues inGATT Include multi­
lateral consultations ,under Article XXIII ortheSubsidies /Countervailing Code,
with inevitable long delays before action can beexpected .This would not be
likely toaeet thecurrent concerns ofthe European textile Industry .
With regard totextiles andclothing ,the Commission has drawn theattention
ofthe U.S. Government tothedifficulties which Immoderate growth ofAmerican
exports tothe ECmarket ofproducts restricted from other sources will create
1nthenegotiations forthe renewal ofthe MFA.Inthese circumstances ,the
Commission concludes that theCommunity should continue tourge ontheU.S.
the need forcooperation andmoderation oftheir exports oftextiles and
petrochemicals .
t1.Xnthelight ofthese events ,theCommission will,asanurgent priority ,
monitor closely thesituation ,both asconcerns the development ofU.S. exports
tothe Community andalso asconcerns theconcrete implementation oftheU.S.
administration 'sIntentions andwill continue topress fortheliberalisation
ofnaphtha exports and the more rapid decontrol ofnatural gasprices .
(1)The Community hasalready ,1n1979/80,imposed anti-dumping
duties ,onadefinitive orprovisional basis ,onproducts from
certain exporters inthe U.S. A:acrylic fibres ,polyester yarn,
vihyl acetate monomer andstyrene monomer .Inaddition ,three
fuKher anti-dumping investigations areproceeding onU.S. products :
pai^axylene ,orthoxylene andtextured polyester fabrics .

USEXPORTS TOTHE CO^liNITf
Sunmary Table *1
UNITS I I1978 I 1979 1980 I1980 /1 I198C /I1 1930 /III 19S0 /IV
Billion S AllTextiles S37 973 1CC9 234 275 219 232
Billion S AllApparel C8 571 23« 63.4 66.5 54.4 53.5
Billion Sq. Cotton fabric 134 174 119 44 32 23 20
yds –
Billion Sq. ofwhich dénis 95 CS £6 21 20 13 -12
yds
Billion Sq. Ban-aiade fibre fabrica' η til 193 62 31 33 46
yds
Million p. Bed linen 6123 91C0 11359 2736 2492 2734 3537
Bill .sq.yds Corduroy 21.5 54.7 53.4 20.4 14.8 11.4 6.3
Bill .sq.yds Carpets 4.32 _9,62 19.61 4.28 4.66 3.44 7;a
""Bill .pieces
Bill .pieces
Bill .pieces
Bill ,lbtien's trousers
T-shirts ¿ndKnit
shirts --
Socks ♦stockings
Polyester filament yari3.74
5.3
6.0
ιΗ.02
tΗ,^Ο
10.7
13.6
23.715.67
31.9
24.5
35.04.33
9.8
•
7.5
9.375.32
9.7
5.5
13.412.90
7.0
5.4
7.243.12
5.4
6.1
5.02
1)Inallcases fourth quarter 1980 isbased onOCT/Novfigures andtotal 1930 onJan-Nov figures .
»

{Statistics from theOffice ofL
Com-nercc )
1.COTTON BROADWOVEN 1
FABRIC 10 F
-1 NL 3 UK IRL DX EEC
MiIlion sq.yd■ ■" ^
1978 5.67 45.21 40.70 2.30 14.39 24.30 1.41 0.42 134.4
1979 11.89 34.56 59.92 5.10 25.04 33.33 2.91 0.79 173.5
19S0 (estJ - I 7.11 22.11 48.05 3.84 =14.30 22.04 1.84
*0.18 119.4
19S0 I 3.65 6.50 15.42 2.29 7.20 7.97 0.67 0.09 '43.8
II 1.91 5.34 15.17 0.68 2.75 6.15 0.40 0.03 32.4
111 1.05 4.63 9.46 0.45 2.22 4.60 0.35 0.04 22.8
IV(est.) 0.50 5.64 3.00 0.42 2.13 3.32 0.42 0.02 "20.4
ofwhich DENIft
Million sq.yd•
1978 1.22 39.15 37.93 0.20 9.08 6.84 0.54 0.30 95.3
1979 1.36 20.77 43.00 0.72 11.19 8.94 1.90 0.16 88.0
1980 (est.) 1·22 13.44 38.78 0.37 6.47 4.72 0.81 0.06 65.9
1980 I 0.46 4.00 10.99 0.21 2.86 2.12 0.42 0.06 21.1
11 0.55 2,95 12.81 0.16 1.66 1.50 0.13 - 19.8
III 0.16 2.76 7.94 - 1.28 0.53 0.11 - 1?.8
IV(est.) 0.05
43.73 7.04 - 0.67 0.57 0.15
1-1?,?

US EXPORTS TOTt'E fIP'^E
{Statistics from theOffice ofTextiles andApparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofCo.Ti.Tisrce )
<1930 based on -Jan-Nov statistics )
2.SYNTHETIC FIBRE |
F1^31C ^0 f I NL 9 •JX IU IOX let
.lillion sq.yd g
1978 I 13.20 13.11 4.76 2.72 2.66 32.93 9.72 0.25 79.4
1979 I 12.54 16.71 57.63 5.59 4.12 54.63 9.25 0.90 161,5
/·
1930 (est.) I 16.53 •14.27 86.42 6.32 7.95 52.63 7.04 0.68 192.3
1980I I 4.59 4.52 32,76 1.77 2.12 13.42 2.14 0.29 61.6
11 4.95 3.73 24.13 1.74 2.27 12.98 0.90 0.27 51,Ό
III 2.85 3.17 13.26 1.58 1.94 10.19 1.89 0.06 34.9
XV(est.) 4.14 2.85 16.22 1.73 1.62 16.04 2.11 0.06 44.8

JC/ajO
USEXPORTS TOTHE EUROPE CO^UNITY
(Statistic ?from theOffice ofTexti4.es andApparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofCommerce )
{19SQ based onJan-Nov statistics )y
3.BEOLINEN I
Thousand pieces J
1978
*0 r X ML
.S UJC IRL DX zzz
102 331 590 345 1,049 3,035 620 - '6,122
1979 ' '122 1,917 282 ZOQ- 1,120 4,137 1,222- 9,100
19S0 (est.) 57 2,442 277 312 923 7,157 667 2 11,337
1930 I"**· 36 557 16 .27 382 1,511 204 1 2,734
II 11 612 97 54 129 1,385 200- 2,438
r·-
III I 5430 10 138 192 1,817 139 - 2,731
IV(est.)1 5793 154 93 220 2,444 124 1 3,334

USEXPORTS TOTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
(Statistics fro™theOffice ofTextiles andApparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofCohere a)
{1980 based onJan-Nov statistics )
4.CORDUROY FABRIC 1
Thousand sq.ydD r 1 NL 3 UK IRLΐ)ΚJ «e
1978 1*675 5,923 2,153 245 5,016 5,624 857 78 21,577
1979 3,414 42,672 22,395 331 7,055 6,921 968 332 34,633
β
1930 (est.) 5/812 19,635 12,534 193 12,424 2,100 257 .396 53,416
1980 I" 2,519 8,364 5,239 112 3,239 658 . 108 169 20,412
II 1,305 5,122 4,072 56 2,966 1,109 64 139 14,837
III 1,038 3,887 2,097 0 4,003 253 33 61 11,374
IV (est.) 950 2,262 1,176 30 2,216 80 52 27 6,793

JC/njj
US EXPORTS TO THCfUP^Pf iN CQ»yUNITT
(Statistics from theOffice ofTextiles andApparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofCommerce' )
(1980 based onJan-Nov statistics !
5.TEXTILE FLOOR I
COVERINGS "D f 1 nl 3 UK IRL DX EEC
Thousand sq.yd 1
1978 1,053 202 146 312 338 2,137 36 –.'46 4,320
1979 I1,025 170 129 24S 704 6,749 474 120 9,613
19^0 (est.) 1,223 553 165 713 1,445 14,533 924 41 19,612
1980 I 229 149 23 131 221 2,774 730 13 4,279
II 318 110 76 236 359 3,515•
43 5 4,664
III 290 133 30 84 354 2,445 74 22 3,436
IV(est.) 386 161 31 267 511 5,799 77 1 7,233
/

usEXROM TOTHÉ EH»OPEAN COV,"JNITY /
(Statistics from theOffice oftextiles andApparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofto.nmerc «>
(198Q hased onJan-Nov statistics )
6.MEN'SANDBOYS * |
TROUSERS AND SHORTS 1
Thousand pieces^0 F I NL 3 UK IRL DX ΓUt
1973 894 503 220«
215 2,424 4,320 120 : -43 3,743
197? 2,5*9 754 1,163 592 3,336 5,492 341 170 14,504
1930 (est.) 2,904 1,517 2,578 673 1,742 5,593 316 229 15,552
1980 I 612 756 540 252 444 1,423 132 120 4,234
II 1,080 372 756 233 1,020 1,692 36 36 5,230
III 600 120 624 43 223 1,123 72 60 2,330
IV(est.) 612 269 653 90 50 1,350 76 13 3,113

USEXPORTS TOTHE EUQQPEflM CQrujNITT
(Statistics from theOffice ofTextiles andAoparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartraent ofCommefc ?)
(1980 based onJan-Nov statistics )JC/mj?
•Ï
7.MEN'S ANDBOYS' KNIT 1
SHIRTS S-D f I NL Β UK IRL DX EEC
Thousand pieces 1- - –
1978 I 825 315 1,853 305 930 1,330 -58 v>20 5,336
1979 J 1,134 1,896 1,336 1,759 390 2,496 61
\SSO '10,732
1930(est.)j3,200 8,071 3,048 4,263 3,524 7,518 152 1,876 31,652
1980I I 960 2,316 1,176 2,124 876 1,488 84 624 9,648
II 924 2,700 804 1,416 1,128 2,172 '''"36 456 9,636
m 624 1,596 648 372 924 2,196- 564 6,924
IV(est.) 692 1,459 420 351 596 1,662 32 232 5,444

use*p.V'Ts_totut cup^pr.v<cor^uNiTy
(Statistics from theOffice ofTentiles tilAnparel ,International Trade Administration ,USDepartment ofCommerce )
(19S0 based onJan-Nov statistics )
8.HOSIERY 1
(socks ,stockings ÍL0 IF I NL Β UK IRL OK EEC
andtights ) 1
Thousand pairs 1
1978 I
• Β1,213 1,711 435 1,055 272 746»
335 6,017
 
1979 I 4,941 2,880 955 1,933 315 1,530 86 322 13,567
1980 (est.) 10,760 4,448 2,235 3,463 939 793 36 1,723 24,397
1980 I 3,204 1,380 636 1,164 216 276 12 SM 7,474
II 2,12 * 504 672 216 144 12 324 5,441
III 2,040 912 744 792 240 204- 444 5,376
IV(est.) 3,392 704 351 835 267 169 12 367 6,097