ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)288
Vol.1979/0109

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79 )288 final
Brussels ,31st May1979
·,Γ \ 1η/"*-■.» ·*' I
o * .«
RECOMMENDATION FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION SUPPLEMENTING
THE DIRECTIVES FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH ISRAEL
(presented bytheCommission totheCouncil )
COM (79)288 final

MEMOFROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCILCONCERNING THENEGOTIATIONS WITHISRAEL
UNDERARTICLE22OFTHEAGREEMENT .
1.Inimplementation ofArticle22oftheAgreement,negotiations wereheldon
21MarchinBrusselsbetweenaCommunityBelegation andanIsraeliDelegationwith
aviewtoconcluding anagreementamending certainprovisionsofthe1975
Agreement.
Priortothenegotiations ,theresultsoftheAgreement,whichhasalreadybeenthe
subjectofaninitialexchangeofviewsattheexploratory talkson21September
andatthemeetingoftheCooperation Councilon22December,wereexaminedin
detailwithparticular referencetothegrowthoftradeandtheresultsof
cooperation .
However,thetwodelegations failedtoreachagreementduringthesenegotiations ,
whichwereconducted onthebasisofthedirectives adoptedbytheCouncilon
6Februarylast,anditwasconsequently impossibletooompletethereview
providedforinArticle22„Therewilltherefore havetobeasecondroundof
negotiations .
Thenegotiations ,
2.TheIsraeliDelegation expresseditsgreatdisappointment attheCommunity's
negativeattitudeinfailingtorespondfavourablytotherequestsmadebythe
IsraeliDelegation attheexploratory talksforconcessions intheagricultural
sector.
Giventheimportantshareofagricultural productsinIsrael'sexportstothe
Community,theIsraeliDelegationfeltthatthemainobjectiveofthereview
providedforinArticle22shouldbetoimprovetheconditionsofaccesstothe
Communitymarketfortheseproducts*ItconsideredtheCommunity'sfailureto
takeaccountoftheAgreement'sobjectiveofpromotingtheexpansionoftradequite
indefensible,andpointedoutthetradeimbalance,whichwasduetoIsrael's
S1.000milliondeficitwiththeCommunityandexistedinspiteofthefactthat
IsraelwastheonlysouthernMediterranean countrytograntpreferential treatment
(ranginguptoduty-freeadmission)for95%ofCommunityexports.

TheIsraeli Delegation pointed outthat under thecircumstances ,thefact that
there hadbeen aslight increase initscountry 'sagricultural exports could not
betaken asanargument forignoring anyopportunity ofimproving theconditions
ofaccess forthese products totheCommunity market ,given thesignificance of
theagricultural sector forimproving Israel 'strade balance with theCommunity .
3.Tomake allowances fortheCommunity 'sdifficulties ,theIsraeli Delegation
presented atthenegotiations ashortened list ofrequests forimprovements which ,
with theexception ofcitrus fruit andtomato concentrates ,nowrelated only to
products notcovered bythepresent Agreement (see list given inAnnex I).Exports
ofthese products (24tariff headings )totalled 36million U.A. (excluding
citrus fruit andtomato concentrates )andaccounted forapproximately 11%ofall
Israeli agricultural exports totheCommunity .Other Mediterranean countries were
already granted concessions on11oftheproducts ,which represented exports
worth approximately 32million U.A.
Asregards citrus fruit ,the Israeli Delegation wasvery insistent ontheneed
fortheCommunity tohonour thecommitment made inthe 1975 Agreement toincrease
the concession onthese products to80%andannounced that itwas
extremely disappointed that theCommunity hadnot yet been able torespond
favourably onthis matter .
The Israeli Delegation indicated that ,under thecircumstances ,itwasimpossible
for ittoagree totheArticle 22review being brought toaclose asfarasthe
agricultural sector wasconcerned andurged theCommunity toadopt amore positive
attitude inkeeping with theconclusions ofthecooperation Council meeting held
on22December last .
4.Before tackling the Israeli demands regarding theindustrial sector ,the
Community Delegation reminded Israel that itshould cease toapply discriminatory
tariff treatment toitsimports from thethree newMember States andstated that
there could benodoubt astohowtheAgreement 'sprovisions inthis connection
should beinterpreted .
TheIsraeli Delegation challenged thelegal basis oftheCommunity 'sinterpretation
Itstated that Israel toofelt there wasnodoubt astothe interpretation ofthe
provisions intheAgreement concerning improved concessions forcitrus fruit .The
Israeli Delegation announced that itwasnevertheless willing tojoin with the

Community/inseekingappropriate solutionstoalltheproblemsraised.
CommentsbytheCommission .
5.Initscommunication abouttheexploratory talkswithIsrael,theCommission
expressedtheopinionthattheevolutionofIsrael'sagricultural exportsto
theCommunity,asmuchforproductscoveredbytheAgreement asforthosenot
coveredbyit,didnotappeartojustifyinthepresentsituationthegranting
ofimprovements intheagricultural sectorbeyondtheproposalswhichhad
alreadybeenmadeinrespectofcitrusfruits.
TheIsraeliDelegation consideredthattheextensiontoIsraelofcertain
concessions alreadydecideduponintheframeworkoftheglobalapproachtowards
otherMediterranean countrieswouldbelikelytocontributefurthertothe
reductionofhertradedeficit,inlinewiththeintentionsoftheCooperation
Councilof22December"toexaminemeasureswhichcouldbeundertaken with
aviewtoresponding evenbettertotheobjectivesoftheAgreement"aswell
as"toexamine,inapositivespirittheresultsoftheexploratory discussions".
6.Nevertheless ,theCommission canonlyconfirmitspointofviewwhichis
thatitdoesnotseemappropriate,inthepresentsituation,andontheeveof
negotiations fortheadaptationoftheAgreementtotakeintoaccountthe
enlargement oftheCommunity,topresenttotheCouncilproposalsfornew
agricultural concessions .
TheCommission notes,however,thatitwasnotpossibletogivefulleffectto
the1975Agreementinthecaseoftwoagricultural productsforwhichconcessions
havealreadybeenmade.Thesearetomatoconcentrates andoranges.Conditions
ofaccesstotheCommunitymarketfororangeshavedeteriorated toacertain
extentsince1January1978asaresultoftheraisingofimportdutiesinthe
threenewMemberStates.Asregardstomatoconcentrates,theconcession
envisagedhasnotyetcomeintoplayonaccountoftheverylowlevelofvoluntary
restraint,whichwasfixedonthebasisofthetradeflowsexistingpriorto
theconclusionoftheAgreement.
7.Inthecaseofcitrusfruit,theCommission hasalreadystatedinitscommu­
nicationtotheCouncilofOctober1977that,initsopinion,allthecircumstan­
ceswarrantedraisingthetariffconcessionffom60%to80%inallnineMember
States.TheCouncilhasnotyetadoptedapositiononthisproposal.Compromise
solutionssubmittedbybothdelegations havefailedtoobtaintheunanimous
agreementoftheCouncil.

Thepresent round ofnegotiations hasmade clear that itwould beimpossible for
Israel toagree totheArticle 22negotiations being concluded unless asolution
wasfound tothis problem ,which hasaneven greater economic significance for
Israel since theprospect oftheenlargement oftheCommunity ismaking the
country extremely anxious about thefuture ofitsagricultural exports .
8.Under these circumstances ,andinthelight oftheresults oftheCooperation
Council of22December ,theCommission recommends that theCouncil adopt a
compromise solution which itconsiders would both beacceptable toIsrael and
would take account ofthe difficulties oftheMember States most affected .The
solution would involve increasing thepresent preference from 60%toonly 70%
fororanges ,which areIsrael 'sbiggest citrus export .Mandarins andClemen -
tines ,which arebecoming anincreasingly important export forother Mediterra­
nean countries ,particularly Morocco ,would beexcluded .
This tariff cutwould beaccompanied ,attheinternal level ,bythedeclaration
originally proposed bythe French Delegation andsupplemented inrespect ofCyprus
With respect totomato concentrates ,theCommission considers that itwould be
advisable toreview the level ofvoluntary restraint set in1975 andreassess
1
itbyreference tothepattern ofIsraeli exports inrecent years assuch as
oftheavailability ofthis product within theCommunity .
Intheindustrial sector noamendment tothenegotiating directives already
adopted bytheCouncil iscalled for .Responsibility forexamining
Israel 'srequest forcertain provisions oftheOrigin Protocol concerning
the 5%rule for products ofheadings Nos 84.55 ,85.19 .
and 85.21 tobeamended and also itsrequest fortheabolition of
drawback tobeputback beyond 1984 lies with theCooperation Council ,
which isempowered bytheAgreement toamend these provisions /where
necessary .
Forexample ,theaverage oftheCommunity 'simports from Israel
intheyears 1976 /1977 /1978 /amounted toabout 5.000 tonnes .

9.Duringthisroundofthenegotiations theIsraeliDelegationputforward
proposalsforanumberofcooperationprojectsintheindustrialandagricultu­
ralsectors.
Althoughthisquestiondoesnotfallwithinthescopeofthepresentnegotiations
andwouldbemoreappropriately dealtwithbytheCooperation Councilinthe
contextofthenormaladministration oftheprovisionsoftheAgreement,the
.CommissionconsidersitmustinformtheCounciloftheIsraeliproposals
(seeAnnexII)sincetherearefinancialobstaclestotheimplementation
ofsomeofthem.
TheCommissionnotesthatthefactthatthereisnocreditlineinthe
FinancialProtocolwithIsraelortheCommunitybudgetwhichcouldbeused
forthispurposemakesitverydifficult,ifnotimpossible,toassumerespon­
sibilityforthematerialcostsoforganizingthesecooperationprojects(at
leastinthecaseofthoseinitiatedbytheCommunity).
Theexistenceofafund,evenafairlysmallone(400.000to500.000EUA),
wouldclearlymakeiteasiertoimplementcooperationprojectsinaccordance
withtheAgreement'sprovisionsinthisrespectandtheconclusionsreached
bytheCooperation Councilon22December.'
Conclusions
Inviewoftheprecedingconsiderations,theCommissionrecommendsthatthe
Counciladoptthesupplementary negotiatingdirectivessetoutinAnnexIII.
Itconsidersthatthesedirectiveswouldmakeitpossibletocompletethe
Article22negotiations withIsraelandgivefulleffecttothe1975
Agreementinaccordancewithitsprimeobjective.Nevertheless,theCommission
considersthattheCommunityshouldnotacceptanyimprovements whichbenefit
IsraelbeingmadetotheAgreementunderArticle22unlessthatcountrysolves
theproblemoftariffdiscrimination inrespectofthethreenewMemberStates
first.

ISRAELI REQUESTS TO TKE EEC FCH
CONCESSIONS n? THE ACRXCUT;TTJP ?AL SECTOR
T&e requests pertain toArticle 22ofthe Agreene'it between the
EEC and Israel .
Harca .1972
!2T
.2
rnxm

O , P-
CCT Description ofCommodity
tCCT
RateIsrael 's
Bequest
(Concessions )Israel 'sLxpo
-*
1976rtto ELC
1000 -
I19TTRemarks
06.02 i
4
(
m .;Other live plants ,inciuaing trees ,
shrubs ,hushes ,roots ,cuttings ,
andslips
A.Unrooted cuttings andslips :
II.Other
D.Other1
1« *
8o*
80$4
]982
■ I1285
06.03 Cut flovers andflover "buds ofakind
suitable forbouquets ororaaaental
purposes ,fresh ,dried ,dyed ,bleached
inpregnated ,orothend.se prepared :
A.Fresh
II.From 1Kor .t«31May 11% 8of 19,287 26,9559 •
11
I

o
CCT Description ofCocmodity CCT
Rate
07.01 Vegetables ,fresh orchilled :
A.Potatoes
II.Nev Potatoes
exa)From1.Jan.to15Hay
B.Cabbages ,cauliflowers and
trussel sprouts
exIII .Other
|-Chinese leaves
D.Salad vegetables ,Including
endive orchicory :
ex IX.Other •
-Iceberg Lettuce
:G.'Carrots ,turnips ,salad ,beet­
root ,salisfy ,celeriac ,
radishes andsicilar edible
root 8:
exXV.Other
-Radishes "• *
M.Tomatoes :
exI.From l.Hov.tolitMay15%
15%
13%
11$
11?vith
anin .of
2u.a .per
100Kg.netO
2 »
Israel 's
Request
(Concessions )Israel 'sIxport toEEC
-$1000 -
1976 1977Remarks
H'i% frooi
leJan .to
33.Mar .
60%from
10Decto
30Apr,.
8θΙ
100?From IDet
to31Mar .
6o£from
15Nov .to
31March2513
200»
88
100*
16051367
600®
225
300»
2866 subject to
reference prlte

I
I-:I I–
ir-'i-I!
Description ofCommodity CCTRate ■
IIsrocl's
Request
(Conccssions)Israel'3
LExporttoEEC
1000IRemarks1
I
I _l1976 1977
107.02 Vegctnblcs(whetherornotcooked ,
preservedbyfreezingI
II
I
I
I I
.ex.B.Other
–Broccol S
..–FingerCarrots-Onions.1Q.0X •ββ
I|131
l
t
07.04 Dried,dehydrated orevaporated
vegetables ,whole,cut,sliced,
brokenorinpowder#butnot.
furtherprepared:I
i
!
(1
4r
f
\
!
f
1A.Onions 18% 1002 75 ι450
a •|ex«B.Other
I–Carrots
I–Capsicura
I–Potatoes
j«■Turnip
••RedBeet16% 100% 1980 1998
»
08.02 ex.A.–Oranges J
ex.B«–Mandarinesv4-20% 8055 71000 81000
»
»
I
IDeclaration by
theEEConArt.
22oftheAgre­
ementandArt.8
ofProtocollI
!
08.04 Grapes,freshordried3
A.Fresh
Tablegrapessubjectto
reference
ex.a)froml.Nov.to14July 18% 60?»from
l.Mayto
14July 867 411price
!ex.b)from15.Julyto31Oct. 22% 60a>fromI
I
f
15Julyto!
30July
1
twwm–it'HJN' www

■-i
MWT ■W. I AJt .1ιι*ιDescription orlommouity CCI;Isracla
Rota!Request
|(Concessions)Israel'sExporttoEEC
$.1000
■ .Remark»
1976 1977
20.05 Jams,fruit,jellies,marmalades,
fruitpureeandfruitpastes,
beingcookedpreparations whether
ornotcontainingaddedsugar
ex*8.Jamsandmarmaladesof
citrusfruit- 27%
l
IÏ100%
I
II
63I
70 ;
i i
I [|Israelrequests
i.L.••-theadjustment
ofthetariffto
theothercitrus
fruit.
Productsfor
whichconcession;
have"beengran',ted.
4
i
I

o
CCT
20.06Description ofCommodity
Fruit otherwise prepared orpreserved
whether ornotcontaining added
sugar orspirit :
B.Other :
II.Kotcontaining addei spirit :
a)containing added sugar in
immediate packings ofanet
capacity ofmore than 1kg:
ex7.Peaches andapricots :
aa)with sugar content exceeding
•13?byweight :Apricots
bb)^Other :Apricots
ex8.Other fruits :
•-Orange segments
-Melon
IB.IIb)Containing added sugar ,"in.
; immediate packings ofanet
capacity of1kgorless :
ex7»Apricots :
: aa)with asugar content exceeding
i 15?byweight
i bb)Other
I ex.8.Other fruits :
-Orange segments
-Melon.O
Israel 's
Request
(Concessions )(Israel 'sLrjort toEEC -$1000 -
1976Remarks
1221 .
100*
100*
M••
100*
100*801
372977
Φ
kl»
80%
80*
100*
100*

6
cet Description ofCorsodity CCT
Baie
I
iIsrael 's
RequestIsrael 'sExport toEEC
-I1000 - Remarks
►(Concessions )jI1976 I19TT j
Cont .20.0c BIIc)notcontaining added sugar ,ir
Immediate packings offtnet
capacity ;
!2.Oflessthan fc.$kgs
exbb)Other fruits
| -Apricots ,inpackings
of«.0kg.ormore ,for
useinindustry .
• »ι
23% 60%
i
iRequest toapply
concession to
packings ofnet
capacity of
between tkg
and 1».5ke.
Thecapacity of
packincs ususllyV,1.2k£.
20.07 I
IFruit Juices (including grape must )
land vegetable Juices ,whether or
jnotcontaining added sugar ,."but _ I
Junfermented andnotcontaining spirit |
i
B.Ofaspecific gravity of1.33
! os*less at15^C:„
IIOthers
a)ofavalue exceeding 30u.ft* j
per100kg.netweight :
ex.3.Lemon Juices
ft&)containing added sugar!
i
182 looi1
i
4
292I
I
i
I•
|
»
fc02

MISSION O'tSMACl .
IMtfMâVTll KU*0*llM <
».3.1979
AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION EEC-ISRAEL
Since the Council ofCooperation has approved the
Agricultural Cooperation between Israel andtheEEC,we
have been looking forways ashowtostart materializing it®
Atask notmade easier bythe fact that nospecific funds
were allocated fortheCooperation activities ,andbythe
fact that such cooperation within theCommunity exists on
abilateral basis and notthrough common channels *
Following thedecision oftheCooperation Council of
22nd December 1978 ,the Israeli delegation proposes toact
according tothe following ;
Toconduct symposia orstudy days onthe following subjects :
–Modern methods ofirrigation (according toclimate and
other cultural conditions )
–Techniques ofre-afforestat ion (with special reference
toregions affected byerosion orother special factors
relating tosoil )
«Organisation ofextension services andapplication of
extension methods *
Prior tothesymposia experts will meet with the aim
ofdefining thedetails asprecisely aspossible oftheexact
subjects tobecovered later atthe symposia ,theduration of
thestudy days ,theorder ofmeetings ,the number ofpart icipants *
itslocation andresponsibility fortheexpenses *
These meetings ofexperts could take place En1979 *
with the perspective ofhaving onesymposium this year and
the other two atalater date *
The aimofthe symposia ,which aretobeattended by
specialists inthe field from potentially interested countries
orregions *istoexplore anddefine mutual interests# which
could lead todrawing uprecommended plans for future common
activities based onachievements inoneregion anddeficiency
inanother *
•/•••ANNEXE' II
nn)»o
nvBivKn ni»vnpn v*

MISSION0*IS«Ad
AVI»«4»0tft?ιη»*ηη)»ο
ηΐ'βινιιπηι*νπρη
-2-
Alsothopossibilityoffindingthswaytous®FEDGA
fundsorregionalfundthatdealwithsimiliarprospects
shouldboinvestigated .
Λ

MilttON O'ltffAEl .
auvnAS »iiîins'nrOBro
nv»ii«*anwnpnv?
INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
Followingthesuccessful organization ofthelastBrussels
symposium,weshoulddeembeneficial ,forboththeCommunity
andIsrael,thedeepeningofourfndustrial Cooperation
inthefollowingfields;
a)Asymposium,onspecificindustrial sectors® .
Detailsregardingthespecificsectorssuggestedwillbe
soonforwarded .
b)TrademissionstoIsrael
Followingthesuccessful missioninthefieldofirrigation ,
itissuggestedtoorganize;
1)InSeptember 79,asimilarmissioninthefieldof
applications ofSolarEnergy.
2)Twosupplementary missionsrnthefieldof:
a)Agricuîtural inputs&Equipment
b)FineChemistry
proposeddateswillbedetermined inalaterstage.
c)MissionofIsraeliExporterstotheCommunity# whowiII
meet,interalia,withvariousEuropeanFederations ,
aswellaswithexpertsoftheCommission andother
Europeanorgans*

ANNEXIII
RECOMMENDATION FORACOUNCILDECISION SUPPLEMENTING THEDIRECTIVES FOR
NEGOTIATIONS WITHISRAEL.
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
Havingregardtotherecommendation fromtheCommission,
HavingregardtoArticle22oftheAgreementbetweentheEuropeanEconomic
Community andIsrael,
Whereason6February1979theCounciladopteddirectivesforthenegotiation
ofanagreementamendingcertainprovisionsoftheEEC-ISRAEL Agreementof
1975;
Whereasitisnecessarytosupplement thosedirectivesinordertocontinue
andcompletethenegotiations ,
HASDECIDEDASFOLLOWS :
SoleArticle
Thedirectivesforthenegotiation ofanagreementamendingcertainprovisions
ofthe1975Agreementaresupplemented bythedirectives annexedhereto.

ANNEX
NEGOTIATING DIRECTIVES
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR.
1.CITRUSFRUIT.
ThetariffreductionprovidedfoririArticle8ofProtocoln°1ofthe
Agreementwouldbeincreasedto70%onlyforfreshorangesofheadingNo08.02
exA.
Thefollowingdeclaration wouldbewrittenintotheminutesoftheCouncil
oftheEuropeanCommunities :
"Indecidingtoincreaseto70%thetariffconcessioncurrentlygranted
"tothecountriesconcerned,theCouncilandtheCommissionundertaketomake
"nofurtheradjustmenttotheMediterranean equilibrium thusachievedas
"regardsthearrangements fororangesuntiltheoutcomeoftheaccession
1negotiations isknown
2.TOMATOCONCENTRATES .
Thevoluntaryrestraintvolumeresultingfromtheconditionsfortheimplemen­
tationofArticle9ofProtocolNo1wouldberevalued"onthe~basis/ofthe
evolutionofIsraeliexportsinthecourseofrecentyears,asasonthe
basTs"ofl:he~avaiTa6i UtyofthisproductwithintheCommunity.
t –;–~ – ;;;7- ,
1Itshallbeunderstood thatthisdeclaration doesnotruleoutthe
possibility ofincreasingto70%thetariffconcession accordedfor
thesameproductsoriginatinginCypruswhenthetransitiontothe^
pcrscsecond stage«f-theAssociation Agreement-with'.thatcountryisnegociated.