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COM (85) 499 
 
 
 
Vol. 1985/ 0189 
  
 
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Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the openi ng to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), this f ile is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 198 3 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 vom 27 .9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION O F  TH E EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C 0M <85> 499 fin a l 
Brussels, 20 September 1985
C O M M U N IC A T IO N  B Y  T H E  '  C O M M IS S IO N  T O  T H E  C O U N C IL
Participation of 
Cotton AdvCommission in the IC A C  (International 
ry^ommi ttee)
C O M (85) 499 fin a l

S U M M A R Y
Most of the M em ber States are members of the "International 
Cotton Advisory Committee" CICAC). The Commission has observer 
status.
The main organs of the IC A C  are :
the plenary in which members and observers participate,
- the Standing Committee and the Steering Committee; in which 
only members can participate. The main decisions of the 
organisation are taken in these committees.
The question for the Community is whether or not i t  should eventually 
become a  fu ll member of the ICAC. However, a  practical w ay for 
the Commission to participate has to be found in the short term.
The approval of the Council is requested for a  simple, transitory 
formula allowing for the Commission's participation in the 
"Steering Committee" meetings which w ill take place during the next 
plenary session of the ICAC, at the end October 1985.

C O M M U N IC A TIO N  O F  T H E  CO M M ISSIO N T O  T H E  CO UNCIL
Subject : P articipation of the Commission in the ICAC 
(International Cotton Advisory Committee)
1. The ICAC is an independent organisation with the character 
of an intergovernmental study group body. A ll main cotton­
producting and consuming countries, except the People's Republic 
of China, are members. The ICAC is the main international 
organisation in the fie ld  of raw cotton and has been in existence 
since the late th irtie s .
R a w  cotton is one of the 18 raw m aterials of UNCTAD's Integrated 
Programme of Commodities. However, in spite of four years (1977-81) 
of "preparatory meetings and consultations" i t  was not possible 
to elaborate any form of international commodity agreement (ICA) under 
U N C T A D .
2. Membership of IC AC
Membership of the ICAC i~ c? ·.-· tr member- of the U N  or of the FAO , 
expressing an interest in cotton. Any other government expressing 
an interest in cotton is e lig ib le  to apply for membership. A ll E E C  
Member States, except Ireland and Luxembourg, are members. However, 
delegates from Denmark and Ita ly  seldom take part in ICAC meetings. 
Spain and Portugal are also members. The Commission of the E E C  has 
observer status only.
3. Committees
The IC AC  meets yearly in a  plenary meeting at the in v ita tio n  of a  
member government. The plenary is assisted by several committees, 
the main one of which is the "Steering Committee". Between plenary 
meetings the "Standing Committee" represents the ICAC. The functions 
of the Standing Committe and the Steering Committee are Largely 
comparable; during_the plenary meetings the Steering Committee f u l f i l l s  
the sam e tasks as those which the Standing Committee performs during 
the year.

-2-
4. Parti cipation
AU plenary meetings are open to members, observers, press and public,  
unless the Chairman decides otherwise.
Standing and Steering Committee sessions are only accessible to members.
ti
5. Functions of the ICAC
ICAC and its bodies deal with questions of production, consumption,  
trade and stocking of raw cotton. Although raw cotton is not a part  
of Annex II to the Treaty of Rome, a common market regulation for  
raw cotton has been in existence for some five years. The common  
commercial policy also covers raw cotton« Therefore, on most of the  
agenda/points of-the ICAC plenary meetings, common declarations and  
standpoints are elaborated in Community coordination meetings. They  
usually presented by the Commission representative.
·.\
o. rrob Lem
i 4 o?t of the important questions of the ICAC plenary meeting's agenda,
and certainly the more delicate end difficult ones, are treated by
the Steering Committee. Since only members can participate in the  i  r
meetings of these Committee/, and since the Commission has only
observer status, the representative of the Commission cannot participate
in the meetings of these Committees. This situation is rather
embarrassing both for the Commission representative and for the'Member
States' representatives, and even for those of the other members. It
is all the more anomalous since the Commission representative in most
of the cases where problems are discussed in the Committees, in his
absence, could and will be called to present the common standpoint in
the plenary.
>
In some cases, a modus has been found foreseèing that the Commission  
representative takej part in the Committees' meetings through the  
delegation of the Member State having the Community presidency. But  
from many point* of view this solution is unsatisfactory and could  
give rise to objection from.the other delegations at any time.
.. ./3

Community membership
a) The fact that Community com m on policie s are covered by the ICAC fie ld  of 
a c tiv itie s  ju s tifie s  that the Community as such become a member 
of ICAC. This question is not raised e a rlie r since fo r years prepa­
ratory work was being done in the U N C T A D  framework aiming at elabo­
rating an international commodity agreement on raw cotton. Had th is 
work been successful, the question of f u l l Community membership of 
the new international commodity agreement would have been raised then. 
Since l i t t l e  progress in U N C T A D  has been m ade and with a  view to the 
elements explained in para. 5  and 6, th is question should be dealt 
with in due time.
b) ICAC's next plenary meeting w ill take place late October 1985 in 
Sydney. Beforehand a  p ra ctica l solution should be found which would 
allow the Commission's representative to take part on behalf of the 
Community in th r r.orcicrr c* the Steering Committee.
The most simple solution would be that at the end of the f ir s t  plenary 
meeting be announced that "the sessions of the Steering Committee w ill 
be open to members and those who can speak on behalf of members'.' The 
executive Director appears ready to promote th is formula i f  asked to 
do so. Evidentely th is  formula should be approved beforehand by the 
Standing Committee o r, at least, have received the ta c it 'n ih il obstat' 
of those ICAC members who might have objections (USSR).
Approval by the Council for th is  practical solution is sought.