ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)486
Vol.1977/0152

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77)486final.
Brussels.13October1977
Draft
ACP-EEC-COUNCILOFMINISTERS DECISION
derogatingfromtheconceptoforiginatingproductsto
takeintoaccountthespecialsituationofMauritius
withregardtoitsproductionofcannedtuna
(submittedtotheCouncil "bytheCommission)
COM(77)486final.

Explanatory Note
.Présentation oftherecmest
AtameetingoftheCustomsCo-operation Committeeon22May,theChairman
oftheACPWorkingPartyinformedtheCommunityofarequestfrom
Mauritius,basedonArticle27ofProtocolNo1annexedtotheLomeConvention
foraderogationfromthedefinitionoftheconceptoforiginating products
asregardsanannualquantityof3120tonnesofcannedtunaforaperiod
oftwoyears.
OnthisoccasiontheMauritianrepresentative putforwardthefollowing
arguments :
Since1972,Mauritiushashadatunacanningindustry;thiswasstartedup
byaJapanesecompanywhichgotitssuppliesfromMadagascar ,sincethat
countryalreadyhadafishingventureandwasabletosupplythequantities
requiredtoensuretheprofitability oftheoperation.Sincethefish
cameundertheheadingoforiginating products,thecannedtunawasadmitted
intotheCommunityunderthepreferential arrangments .Thissituation
deteriorated in1975followingpoliticalchangesinMadagascarandthe
fishingcompanywaswoundup,whichatthesametimecutoffthecannery's
sourcesofsupply.OtherACPsuppliersweresoughtandaloadof600tonnes
fromGhanaenabledthecompanytokeepgoingforsometime.Whena
contractwiththeIvoryCoastwasterminatedafewdaysbeforeloading,
thecanneryhadtocloseforseveralweeksandits278employeeswerelaid
off.
Atpresentworkhasresumedandthetunaisboughtfromfishermeninthe
MaldiveIslandsanddispatchedtoMauritiussubjecttot-hepaymentofa
veryhighfreightchargewhichaddsheavilytothecostpriceofthe
finishedproduct;sincethisnolongercountsasanoriginatingarticle
thecustomsdutyapplicabletothirdcountriesnamely24$»mustbepaid
onentryintotheCommunity.
Mauritiushasrestructuredthiscanningindustry,firstofallbyacquiring
51$ofthecompany'scapital,withtheaimofincreasingitsparticipation
to1&foatalaterstage,andalsobycreatingitsownfishingfleet.The
preparatorystageforthisisalreadyunderway(trainingofcrews).

Thisderogationhasbeenrequestedsoastoenablethefactorytosell
ontheCommunitymarketuptothetimewhentheproductscan"beconsidered
asoriginating-namelywithintwoyears.
(oneboxisapproximately equalto
13kgnetweight)
or1860tonnes
During1975iabout3,190toffishweretreatedandthisyielded2520t
ofcannedfish.
ExportstotheCommunityin1976onlycametoabout600t,becauseofthe
difficulties referredtoabove.
PriceswereUS$22per"box,whereasproductioncostscametoUS$24,"but
lossesweretemporarilyoffset "by"bankcredit.
OpinionoftheCommissiondepartments
A.Situationof_the_C£mmimity_tuna warningindustry
TherequestfromMauritiuscanonlybeexaminedbearinginmindthe
effectswhichtheimportationofmorethan3,000tofcannedfishcould
haveontheCommunityindustry.Thereforeacloselookshould "betakenat
thepresentsituationinthis"branchofindustry.
OnlytwoMemberStates,namelyFranceandItaly,areinvolvedintuna
fishing.In1975,tunacatchescametoabout54»000t(France:50,000tof
whichhalfcomesfromtheWestAfricanCoast,Italy:/].1,000t).Moreover
importsoftunaaremadebyFrance(8,000)andItaly(50,000t)andare
intendedalmostexclusivelyforthecanningindustry.Exportsin1975wereasfollows:
Belgium: 11,200boxes
Netherlands :28,000
Germany: 65,700"
France: 28,000"
UnitedStates:7,850"
Reunion: 1,827"
Comores: •400"
Burundi: 500"
Total 143,127boxes

3
TheCommunity tuna canning industry isconcentrated inItaly andPrance .
Italy produced 36,500 tin1975 andFrance produced 26,300 t.Atthe
same time ,theCommunity imported 38,920 t.Themain suppliers areJapan ,
Senegal ,Ivory Coast (which isbecoming anincreasingly large supplier ),
andTaiwan .In1975 Mauritius supplied 1,573 t.
France isthemain importer with 16,547 followed "byGermany (10,474 t)
andtheUnited Kingdom (5,335 t).Exports arenegligible .Intra-Comnnmity
trade cornes toabout 2,500 t.
Apparent consumption comes toabout 100,000 tofcanned fish ,with the
self-supply rate around the 60^omark .
B.Légal aspect
Therequest ,submitted andsupported byalltheACP States ,complies entirely
with thecriteria specified inArticle 27ofProtocol n°1totheConvention .
The object istomaintain anexisting industry which isintemporary
difficulties due tounforeseen circumstances and whose access tothe
Community market isjeopardized byhaving topay avery high customs duty ,
which could also threaten thefuture development oftheindustry .
C.Conclusion
Therequest from Mauritius hasalegal basis andcorresponds tothe
provisions ofArticle 27ofProtocol n°1and aspreviously mentioned ,
since Community imports come toabout 39»000 t,itdoes notappear that
serious disturbances could result from granting theRequested derogation .
However ,iftheCommunity market isseen astheonly outlet ,there are
bound tobedifficulties .Consequently ,itwould.be wiser togrant a
derogation foraquantity slightly higher than that ofexports in1975 »
namely 1,600t. ,
Consequently ,theCommission proposes thefollowing draft decision .

Braft
ACP-EEC COUNCIL OPMINISTERS DECISION
derogating from the concept oforiginating
products totake into account the special
situation ofMauritius with regard toits
production ofcanned tuna
THE ACP-EEC COUNCIL OPMINISTERS .
/
Having regard totheACP-EEC Convention ofLome -signed on28February 1975
hereinafter called the"Convent ion",andin .particular Article 9(2)thereof

2.
WhereasArticle27ofProtocolNo1totheConvention ,concerningthe
definitionoftheconoeptof"originatingproducts"andmethodsof
administrativeco-operation ,statesthatderogations fromtherulesof
originmay"bemade,inparticulartofacilitatethedevelopmentof
existingindustriesorthecreationofnewindustries ;
WhereastheACPStateshavesubmittedarequestfromtheGovernmentof
'Mauritiusforaderogationfromthedefinitionsetoutinthesaid
Protocolforcannedtunaproduced "bythatState;whereasaone-year
derogationshouldbesufficienttosatisfythatrequest;
Whereas,inaccordancewithArticle27ofProtocolNo1,theCustoms
Co-operation Committeehasadoptedareportonthesaidrequest;
Whereas,inordernottohinderthefuturedevelopment ofanexisting
industry,theveryexistenceofwhichisatpresentthreatenedasa
resultofunforeseencircumstances ,temporaryderogationshouldbe
grantedfromthedefinitionintheProtocol,
HASDECIDEDASFOLLOWS:
Article 1
BywayofderogationfromthespecialprovisionsofListAin
AnnexIItoProtocolno1,cannedtunaproducedbyMauritiusandfalling
withintariffheadingNoex16.04shallbeconsideredasoriginatingin
Mauritiussubjecttothefollowingconditions *
Article2
Thisderogationshallrelateto1600tonnesofcannedtunafalling
withintariffheadingNoex16.04importedintotheCommunityfrom
to
Article3
Movementcertificates EUR1issuedpursuanttothisDecisionshall
bearoneofthefollowingendorsements :

-"marchandises originaires envertudeladécisionn°duConseildes
MinistresACP-CEE",
-"Ursprungswaren gemässBeschlussNr.desAKP-EWG-Ministerrates",
-"mercioriginarieinvirtùdelladecisionen.delConsigliodei
ministriACP-CEE",
-"goederenvanoorspronguithoofdevanBesluitnr.vandeACS-EEG-
RaadvanMinisters",
-"originating products "byvirtueofDecisionNooftheACP-EEC
CouncilofMinisters".
-"varermedoprindelsesstatus ihenholdtilAVS/EØF-ministerradets afgp
reisenr.".
Thisendorsementshallbeenteredundertheheading"Remarks ".
Article4
Thecompetentauthorities ofMauritiusshalltakethenecessarysteps
tocarryoutquantitative checksonexportsoftheproductsreferredtoin
Article2andshallforwardtotheCommissioneverythreemonthsastatement
ofthequantitiesinrespectofwhichmovementcertificates EUR1have
"beenissuedpursuanttothisDecision.
Article5
TheACPStates,theMemberStatesandtheCommunityshall
eachtakethemeasuresnecessarytoimplementthisDecision.
» Article6
ThisDecisionshallenterintoforceon
Itshallapplyuntil............
DoneatBrussels
FortheACP-EECCouncilofMinisters
ThePresident