ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (80)376
Vol.1980/0134

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COMMISSION OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)376 final
Brussels ,2July 1980
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL
CONCERNING THE NEGOTIATION OF APROTOCOL OFADAPTATION
AND TRANSITION TO THE ACP-EEC CONVENTION
TOTAKE ACCOUNT OF GREEK ACCESSION TO THE COMMUNITIES
AND
RECOMMENDATION FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION
TO OPEN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ACP COUNTRIES
QsuD^±^4^ojjtfté^kuncT 1bytheCommission )
ioC.ÇN
Yri \\p /ïy
C0MC80 )376final

"-· -"--
FICHE FINANCIERE -
Lesconséquences sur Lesressources propres delanégociation d'unprotocole
d'adaptation etdetransition àlaConvention ACP/CEEpour tenir compte de
Ifecc&ssionde laGrèce aux Communautés sont négligeables etintégrées auxpré­
visions triennales 1980-1982 .
Eneffet ,envertu del'article 126del'Acte d'adhésion ,lesdroits dedouane
versés par laGrèce aubudget communautaire àtitre deressources propres ,sont
calculés comme sielle appliquait dès l'adhésion lestaux résultant dutarif
douanier commun etlestaux réduits résultant despréférences tarifaires appli­
quées ,notamment auxEtats ÀCP,par laCommunauté .

INTRODUCTION
Article118paragraphIoftheActconcerningtheCondi­
tionsofAccessionoftheHellenicRepublicandtheadjustments to
thetreatiesstatesthatfrom1.1.81,theagreeddatefortheentry
intoforceoftheActofAccession,theHellenicRepublicshould
applytheprovisionsoftheagreementstheCommunityhasconcluded
withcertainthirdcountries.
Article118goesontostatethatthetransitional measures
andadjustments shallbethesubjectofprotocolsconcludedwiththe
co-contracting thirdcountriesand'annexedtothoseagreements.
WhentheTreatyofAccessionwassignedon28Ray1979
thenewACP-EECConvention hadnotbeenconcluded.Article122ofthe
ActofAccessionthusstatedthattheprovisionsofArticle118(and
119)shouldapplytoanynewagreementthattheCommunityshould
concludewiththeACPcountriesbeforetheentryintoforceoftheAct
ofAccession. >
On28November1979,theCommissionreportedtotheCouncil
ontheexploratorytalksthatithadheldwiththeCommunity'sco-
1contractingtradingpartnersandmadearecommendation foraCouncil
Decisiontoopennegotiations withthesecountriestogetherwithnego­
tiatingdirectives .On11February1980theCouncilandtherepresenta­
tivesofthegovernments oftheMemberStatesmeetingwithintheCouncil
2authorizedtheCommissiontoopennegotiations withthesecountries
withaviewtoconcludingprotocolsofadaptationandtransitiontothe
agreementswiththosecountriestotakeaccountoftheaccessionof
Doc.C0M(79)693final
2Doc.4352/80.

-2-
GreecetotheEuropeanCommunities .
Duetothefactthatthenew,EEC-ACPConvention wascon­
cludedshortlybeforetheCommission madeitsrecommendation ,theACP
/
countrieswerenotincludedintheCommission'sproposalsfornegotia­
tingdirectives.Moreover/intheCommission'sreportof28.11.79''
itwasstatedthattheACPcountrieswouldbedealtwithinaseparate
communication .
Tothisend,theCommissionisnowrecommending thatthe
ACPcountriesshouldbeincludedalongwiththeotherco-contracting .
tradingpartnersinthegeneralnegotiatingdirectivesapprovedbythe
Councilon11February1980,ascontainedinCouncildocument4352/80.
Thisrecommendation isinlinewiththeprovisionsofArticles118,119
and122oftheActofAccession.
■* '
ItshouldbenotedthatunderthetermsoftheActofAccession,
Greecehasbeengrantedcertaintransitional arrangements towardsthe
Communityinthetariffandnon-tarifffields.-Greecethereforealso
requiressimilartransitional arrangements towardstheCommunity'sprefe­
rentialpartners(includingtheACPcountries)sinceitislaiddownin
theActofAccession (Article118)thatGreecemaynotgrantanythird
countriesmorefavourabletreatmentthanshegrants .theCommunityasat
presentconstituted .
COM(79)693final,p.2

PARTONE-GREEKACCESSION ANDTHEACP-EECCONVENTION
I.PositionoftheACPCountnes
OnseveraloccasionsandmostrecentlyattheMeeting
oftheACP-EECCouncilofMinistersinNairobion8/9May,theACP
countrieshaveexpressedseriousconcernontheconsequences ofGreek
accessionontheircommercialrelationswiththeCommunity.TheACP
countriesconsiderthattheimpactofGreekaccessioncouldleadtoan
erosionoftheConvention . .
II.PositionoftheCommission
(i)Trade
InsofarasthefearsexpressedbytheACPcountriesare
concerned,theCommission'wouldpointoutthatitconsidersthattheconse­
quencesofGreekaccessionfortheACPcountrieswillbeofamarginal
andpositivenatureoverall.Moreovertherecanbenoquestionofa
renegotiation oftheEEC-ACPConventionandanyconcernofACPcountries
V
wouldnotjustifyanydelayintheconclusionofaprotocollayingdown
technicaladaptations oftheConvention madenecessarybyGreece's
accessionaswellascertaintransitional arrangements fortheapplication
byGreeceoftheConvention. -
'UnderthetermsoftheEEC-GreeceAssociation Agreementof
1962,GreecehasenjoyeddutyfreeandrestrictionfreeaccesstotheCommu­
nitymarketforindustrialproductssince1968(excluding ECSCproducts
whichare»otcoveredbytheagreement).ThusGreekaccessionwillnot
changetheexistingsituationforACPcountriesasregardsindustrialexports
totheCommunity.Intheagricultural sectorover90%ofGreekexportsenterth
Communitydutyfree.Greekaccessionwillthusnotalterthisfactorof
competition betweenGreekandACPproductsontheCommunitymarket.
TheadoptionoftheCommunity's"acquis"towardstheACP
countrieswillinvolveGreeceinconsiderable tradeliberalisation .As
wellasapplyingthetariffpreferences towardsACPcountriesGreece
willhavetoabolishquantitative restrictions andmeasures .ofequivalent

effect.Inthetarifffield,Greecewillbefullyapplyingthepro­
visionsoftheConventionformostindustrialproducts,andtariffs
fortheremainingproducts(theso-called22yearlistproductsas-
containe-dinAnnexVIIoftheActofAccession)willbeeliminated .
over5years.ItshouldbenotedthattheaverageGreekexternal
tariffisatpresentaround20%.Greecetodaymaintainssome ;
300quantitativerestrictions towardsthirdcountries.Fromthedate
ofaccessionallthesequantitativerestrictionswillbeabolished ,
towardstheACPcountries(except14products!.ThusfortheACP
countries,Greekaccessionwillmeantheopeningupofahitherto
highlyprotectedmarket(albeitasmallone);' '
Asregardsspecificallytropicalproducts(coffee,tea,
cocoa,spices)theopeningupofthemarketwillbeparticularly bene­
ficialasGreececurrentlyleviesveryhighcustomsduties(upto60'%).'
In19772%ofGreece'sexportsweretoACPcountriesandaround1%
ofherimportswerefromACPcountries.
OnthewholeGreeceisnotanimportantmarketfortheACP
Statesnotonlybecauseofitssizebut-alsobecausemostofGreece's
importscomefromtheindustrialized countries (77%).Greece'simports
fromtheACPmainlyconsistoffoodstuffs (17.3%),oil(8.6%)andraw
materials(includingnon-ferrous metals)(71.2%).Greece'smainimports
offoodstuffs fromtheACPcountriesconsistofcoffeeandcocoa,which
arecurrentlysubject .tohighprotectivetariffs(e.g.52.5%forcocoa).
Certainrawmaterialssuchastimber,whichaccountsfor
30%ofGreece'stotalimportsfromtheACPcountries,alsobearhighrates
ofcustomsduty(e.g.21%onsawnwood).
Inotherwords,.leavingasidecopper,whichentersGreece
duty-free,thethreemainACPexports-timber,coffeeandcocoa-which
accountfor44%ofACPexportstoGreece,aresubjecttoextremelyhigh
tariffs. -
1
These14productswillalsobesubjecttotransitional quotastowardsthe
CommunityunderthethermsoftheActofAccession,Article36.

Inmoregeneralterms,asalreadymentionedGreeceisa
highlyprotectedmarketwhichisnotveryorientedtowardsthedeveloping
countries;itsprotectivebarriersincludenotonlycustomsduties
butsome300quantitativerestrictions onagricultural andindustrialproducts
butalsoarangeofmeasureshavingequivalenteffect,suchas
importdepositsandcashpaymentsystem.
Inconclusion,Greece'saccessionwillopenupahitherto
protectedmarkettotheACPStatesandallowthemtoincreasetheir
marketshare.Thereshouldbenodifficultyingeneraltermsforthe
ACPcountriestoaccepttoconcludeaprotocoloftransition andadjust­
menttotakeaccountofGreekaccession.Transitionisrequiredby
GreecetowardstheACPcountries (andtheCommunity'sotherpreferential
tradingpartners)becausetheCommunityhasgrantedtransitional arran­
gementtoGreeceinthesamesectorsandArticle118oftheActofAcces­
sionlaysdownthattheCommunity'spreferential partnersshallnot
receivebettertreatmentthantheCommunityontheGreekmarket.
(ii)Stabex v
Asregardsthestabexsystem,theexportsofACPcountriestoGreecefor
theproductslistedinArticle25para.1ofthenewConventionwillbe
takenintoaccount,from1.1.81andrvospecialmeasuresneedbetaken.
(iii)Financialandtechnicalcooperation
Withregardtofinancialandtechnicalcooperation,itwillbenecessary
induecoursetoamendthescheduleofcontributions oftheMember
StatestotheEDF,aslaiddowninArticle1para.2(b)oftheinternal
agreementonthefinancingandadministration ofCommunityAidtotake
intoaccountGreeces'contribution .Inadditionitwillbenecessaryto
adjustthedistribution ofvotesamongtheMemberStatesinthe"Article22
CommitteeandintheE.D.F.committee.
CONCLUSION
Asmentionedintheintroduction tothisrecommendation ,theCommission
considersthattheACPcountriesshoiidbeaddedtothelistofcountries
containedinthegeneralnegotiatingdirectivesapplicableto
co-contracting countrieswhichwereapprovedbytheCouncilon
11February1980(1).
(1)Councildoc.4352/80.

PART TWO
Decision ofthe Council and
•oftheRepresentatives ofthe Governements >ofthe Member States ,
meeting within the Council ,
authorizing the Commission toopen negotiations
■with the ACP countries
toadapt the convention between the
Community and those countries
.totake account ofthe accession ofGreece
tothe European Communities
THE COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 'AND THE REPRESENTATIVES
OFTHE GOVERNMENTS OFTHE MEMBER STATES ,MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing the European Economic
Community ,andinparticular Article 238thereof ,
Having regard tothe recommendation from the Commission ,
Whereas itisnecessary toadapt the Convention concluded between the >
Community and the ACP countries totake account ofthe accession of
Greece tothe European Communities andtothis endtoopen negotiations
with those countries , ,.
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
Sole Article
The Commission ishereby authorized toopen negotiations
with the ACP countries with aview toconcluding aprotocol ofadapta­
tion andtransition tothe -Convention with those countries totake
account oftheaccession oftheHellenic Republic tothe European
Communities . -

-2-
TheCommissionshallconductsuchnegotiations onthe
*basisofthedirectives annexedtoCouncildocument4352/80inconsul­
tationwithrepresentatives fromtheMemberStates.Representatives
oftheHellenicRepublicshallbeassociatedwiththework,asobservers,
sidebysidewiththerepresentatives ofthepresentMemberStates.

ANNEX
SPECIFIC TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND TECHNICAL ADAPTATIONS
ON THE EEC-ACP CONVENTION

ANNEX
ACP Countnes . 
QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS
Notapplicable
TARIFF CEILINGS
(i)Texti leproducts
Notapplicable
<ii)Other industrial products
.<•*s
Notapplicable '
TECHNICAL ADAPTATIONS
Tobedetermined taking into account the date ofentry into
force ofthe new ACP-CEE convention .