ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (74)636
Vol.1974/0101

Disclaimer
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p.1),telquemodifié par lerèglement (CE, Euratom) n°1700/2003 du22septembre 2003
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Inaccordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No354/83 of1February 1983
concerning theopening tothepublic ofthehistorical archives oftheEuropean Economic
Community andtheEuropean Atomic Energy Community (OJL43,15.2.1983, p.1),as
amended byRegulation (EC, Euratom) No1700/2003 of22September 2003 (OJL243,
27.9.2003, p.1),this fileisopen tothepublic. Where necessary, classified documents inthis
filehave been declassified inconformity with Article 5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr.354/83 desRates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L43vom 15.2.1983,
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COMMISSION OFTHEEU&OEBAN COMMUNITIES
COM(74 )636final
Brussels ,13May1974
RECOMMENDATION FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION
authorizing theCommission toopen negotiations on "behalf ofthe
Community with theKingdom ofLaos andwith theRepublic ofSriLanka
with aview toconcluding separate agreements with those
countries ontrade infabrics ofsilk orofwaste silk other than
noil and infabrics ofcotton ,woven onhandlooms
(submitted totheCouncil "bytheCommission )
COM(74 )636final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1. Inconformity with theCommunity 'sdeclaration ofintent asre­
gards certain developing countries during theGATT multilateral tariff
negotiations in19^7 ,autonomous duty-free tariff quotas ofavalue of
onemillion units ofaccount were opened bytheCommunity ,forall
countries ,asfrom 1968 forthefollowing products :
ex50.091 fabrics ofsilk orofwaste silk
other than noil ,woven onhandlooms
ex55.09 : other fabrics ofcotton ,woven on
handlooms
Aspart oftheimplementation ofthedeclaration ofintent asre­
gards trade relations with certain Asian countries ,andhaving regard
totheneeds ofthenewMember States inconformity with theAct -of
Accession ,these Community tariff quotas have been doubled for197^to
1the value of2million u.a .each •
2. Duty-free importation issubject ,however ,toproduction tothe
Community customs authorities ofacertificate ,issued bytheauthorities
recognized bytheCommunity oftherecipient State ,certifying that the
products inquestion have been woven onahandloom .
3. India ,Pakistan ,Thailand andBangladesh have already concluded
separate agreements inwhich theabove terms have been specified and
sothis year their products will beimported duty-free under thesaid
Community tariff quotas .
Council Regulation (EEC )No359V73 28December 1973i OJNoL365
of31December 1973

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4. On3January 197^and6February 197*S theLaostian andSriLanka
Missions totheEuropean Communities addressed notes verbales tothe
Commission (seeAnnexes IIandIII )stating that their Governments
would like theconcessions already accorded toIndia ,Pakistan ,Thailand
andBangladesh tobeextended totheir respective countries .
5. AstheCommunity tariff quotas inquestion were opened forall
countries ,theCommission considers that favourable replies should be
given tothese requests andthus recommends that ,pursuant toArticle 113
oftheTreaty ,theCouncil adopt thefollowing decision (Annex I),

ANNEX I
RECOMMENDATION FOR ACOUNCIL DECISION
authorizing theCommission toopen negotiations
onbehalf oftheCommunity with theKingdom of
Laos andwith theRepublic ofSriLanka with a
view toconcluding separate agreements with those
countries ontrade infabrics ofsilk orofwaste
silk other than noil and infabrics ofcotton ,
woven onhandlooms
THE COUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
and inparticular Article 113thereof ,
Having regard totheRecommendation cftheCommission ,
Whereas theGovernments oftheKingdom ofLaos andoftheRepublic of ,
SriLanka have stated that they would like theduty-free quotas opened
autonomously bytheCommunity forimports offabrics ofsilk orofwaste
silk other than noil and offabrics ofcotton ,woven onhandlooms ,tobe
extended totheir countries onthe same terms asforother exporting
third countries ;
Whereas action should betaken upon therequests ofLaos andSriLanka
byopening negotiations with those countries with aview toestablishing
theterms onwhich theproducts inquestion may beimported duty-free
under thetariff quotas opened autonomously bytheCommunity forall
1
countries byCouncil Regulation (EEC )No359V73 of2oDecember 1973 5
-1
OJNoL3"5of31December 1973

HAS DECIDED ASFOLLOWS :
Sole Article
The Commission ishereby authorized toopen negotiations cn
behalf oftheEuropean Economic Community with theKingdom ofLaos
andwith theRepublic ofSriLanka with aview toconcluding separate
agreements with those countries ontrade infabrics ofsilk orcf
waste silk other than noil and infabrics ofcotton ,woven onhand -
looms ,onthe same terms asthose specified inthe agreements con­
cluded bytheCommunity with other third countries .
Done atBrussels , For the Council
The President

ROTAUMEDULAOS
MINISTERE
DES
AFFAIRES ETRANGERESAIWSXEII
Vientiane,le3janvier1974
MonsieurleDirecteurGénéral,
J'ail'honneurdevousfaireconnaîtrequeleLaospossèdeun
patrimoineartistiquequisetraduitdansunartisanatsusceptible de
prendreuneplaceimportanteparmilesautresartisanatsduSud-Est
Asiatique.
Jusqu'àunpas3érelativement récent,sesproductionsétaient
destinéesuniquementàlaconsommation locale,laqualitédesarticles,
sansaucuncontrôle,nepermettantpasd'envisager ,leurexportation.
Depuisquelquesannées,deseffortsconstantsontétéfaitspour
quelaqualitédesarticlessoitconformeauxnormesinternationales
toutenleurgardantleurcaractèretraditionnel etoriginal.
Parmilesarticlesartisanauxexclusivement faitsàlamain,
onpeutciterprincipalement destissusdesoieetdecoton(écharpes,
tapisdetable),desobjetstraditionnels enargent .pur(titrage999)»
despoteriesetdespanneauxdeboissculptéetc....
LeGouvernement RoyalduLaosaconscienced'occuperdansce
domaineuneplacede®choix.Ilsollicitedoncd'êtreinclusdansla
listedespaysautorisésàexporterleursproduitsartisanauxdans
lesEtatsmembresdelaCommunautéEuropéenne.

-2-
*
I
Cettedemandeestfaiteconformément auxrèglementsduConseilde
laCEEno2732/72du19.12.1972(tissusfaitàlaiaain)etno2733/72
du19/12/72(autresproduitsfaitàlamain),instituantdescontingents
tarifairespourcesproduits.
LorsqueleLaosseraautoriséàexportersesproduitsartisanaux
verslepaysmembresdelaCommunauté,ilseconformeraauxconditions
stipuléesdanslesrèglementsduConseildelaCEEprécitéset,en
particulier ,àlaprésentation duCertificatd'Originedontlasigna­
tureseraconfiéeauDirecteurduServiceNationaldel'Artisanatet
del'Industrie.
Jevouspried'accepter,MonsieurleDirecteurGénéral,les
assurances demahauteconsidération .
(

AKNEXE III
EMBASSY OPTHE REPUBLIC OPSRI LANKA
INBELGIUM 6February 1974
Dear Sir
Iwish torefer toayletter no.B/EEC/5Aof23January 1974
informing youthat theGovernment ofSriLanka wishes tobenefit from
theSpecial Duty Free quota of2million units ofaccount forhandloom
textiles (CETex55*09 )• "thediscussion Ihadwith Mr.C.Paoli
yesterday ,Iindicated that SriLanka would also like to "benefit in
theSpecial duty Free quota of2million units ofaccount forWoven
fabrics ofsilk orwast-3 silk ,other than noil (CETex50*09 )*This letter
istoconfirm myrequest toMr,Paoli and Ishall baglad ifthe
necessary arrangements aremade asearly aspossible forSriLanka
tobenefit from theCommunity 'sduty free quota forboth categories
ofhandlooias textiles -namely :
C.E.T ex50.09
and
C.E.T ex55*09