31. 12. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 343/51 
Opinion concerning the Commission's proposals to the Council fixing the Community's 
scheme of generalized tariff preferences for the period 1982 to 1985 and opening the 
scheme applicable in 1982 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the 
European Communities No C 273 of 26 October 1981, page 1. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 13 August 1981 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. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
191st plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 October 1981. 
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 from the Council of the 
European Communities on 13 August 1981 for an 
opinion on the Commission's proposal to the 
Council fixing the Community's scheme of 
generalized tariff preferences for the period 1982 to 
1985 and opening the scheme applicable in 1982, 
Having regard to the decision of its Bureau on 
30 June 1981 instructing the Section for External 
Relations to draw up an opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to its previous opinions on this 
subject, and particularly those of 30 April 19800 
and 30 October 1980(2), 
Having regard to the opinion issued by the Section 
for External Relations in its meeting of 13 October 
1981, 
Having regard to the report submitted by the 
rapporteur. Mr Dietmar Cremer, 
Having regard to the discussions at the 191st plenary 
session held on 28 and 29 October 1981 (meeting of 
29 October 1981), 
(') OJ No C 205, 11.8. 1980. 
(2) OJ No C 331, 17. 12. 1980. HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by 50 votes and by four votes against: 
The Committee approves the general line of the 
Commission's proposals concerning the 1982 GSP, 
although it would make the following comments. 
General comments 
1. The Committee considers that the GSP continues 
to be an important economic instrument for the 
beneficiary countries. 
Its importance is growing at a time when the recipient 
countries have reached a level of development 
enabling them to raise the volume of production 
covered by the scheme. 
2. At the same time, the implementation of the GSP 
is posing an ever-increasing challenge for a 
Community faced, like the rest of the world, by an 
ever-deepening recession. To take account of this 
recession and its impact on jobs and business 
investments, the Commission has proposed few 
changes to the existing GSP. Indeed, it does not yet 
have statistics enabling it to carry out an accurate 
assessment of the new scheme (introduced in 
1981). 
No C 343/52 Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 12. 81 
3. The Committee once more urges the Commission 
in its GSP Proposals to take account of similar 
schemes applied by other industrialized countries. 
Steps should be taken to avoid the Community being 
the only power to offer tariff preferences on certain 
goods. Such action only increases the competitive 
pressures on the EEC market. 
The Community should also see that it is not shut out 
of the markets of other countries who offer 
preferences. Some industrial countries, under the 
cover of investing in beneficiary LDCs, at the same 
time open up for themselves an access route into 
industrialized countries' markets. 
4. The Committee repeats its call to reserve the 
benefits of the GSP primarily for those countries 
which need it most. It would refer here to the criteria 
for selective application of the GSP proposed in its 
opinion of 30 April 1980. 
It therefore condemns as inadequate the 
Commission's proposals to grant China and 
Romania preferential access to the EEC market for 
an increased number of industrial and agricultural 
products. 
5. The Committee questions the wisdom of 
extending the list of agricultural products covered by 
the GSP and increasing the preferential margins for 
some of them. 
While some products, such as pepper, pose no 
particular problem, the Committee feels that the new 
proposals, especially those regarding pineapple juice 
and tobacco, may create difficulties because of: 
— the cost of the common agricultural policy, 
— the Community's responsibilities towards its 
overseas departments and territories, and 
— the increase in competition from imports from the 
ACP countries. 
Done at Brussels, 29 October 1981. 6. Above all, the Committee stresses the importance 
of the GSP as a tool for developing the economies of 
the beneficiary countries. The Commission's aim 
must still be to see that the trading advantages which 
are offered really benefit all groups in the beneficiary 
countries by helping create new jobs and improve 
incomes. 
7. The Committee repeats its recommendations that 
a clause on the application of minimum labour 
standards be inserted in the regulation in line with its 
opinion of 3 July 1980 on development cooperation 
policy and the economic and social consequences of 
applying certain international standards governing 
working conditions 0. It asks the Commission to 
delay no longer in submitting concrete proposals 
designed to bring this about. 
8.1. The Committee still has reservations about 
setting up a management committee to administer the 
GSP. 
Specific comments 
8.2. The Committee recommends that the present 
procedure for re-imposing customs duties on 'non-
sensitive' products be continued, as it is more 
suitable than that proposed in the 1982 scheme for 
really taking account of the economie and social 
situation in the Community when applying the 
GSP. 
8.3. The same applies to the duties applicable in the 
event of a Community ceiling being exceeded by a 
single delivery. 
9. The Committee propose that the contents of the 
regulation to put the GSP into effect be simplified by 
deleting from the recitals passages which are 
repeated word for word in the actual articles. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Tomas ROSEINGRAVE 
(') OJ No C230, 8.9. 1980.