CELEX: 51976PC0246
Language: en
Date: 1976-06-02
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) on the opening of tariff preferences in the form of a partial suspension of customs duties for jute manufactures originating in India, Thailand and Bangladesh and for coir manufactures originating in India and Sri Lanka. (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (76) 246
Vol. 1976/0081
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 ---pagebreak---      COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                         COM(76 ) 246 final
             I
                                                         Brussels . 2 June 1976 •
                              Proposal for a
                           COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC )
                 on the opening of -tariff preferences in the form of
                 a partial suspension of customs duties for jute
                 manufactures originating in India , Thailand and
                 Bangladesh and for coir manufactures originating in
                 India and Sri Lanka*
                 ( submitted to the Council "by the Commission)
                                                 /
CCM(76 ) 246 final
 ---pagebreak---                                EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.   Council Regulation (EEC ) No 3007 / 75 of 17 November 1975 opens tariff
     preferences in the form of a partial suspension of customs duties for
     jute manufactures originating in India , Thailand and Bangladesh and for
     coir manufactures originating in India and Sri Lanka .
2.   This measure falls within the framework of the Community 's generalised
     system of preferences . For jute and coir products , the Community 's offer
     to UNCTAD provides for exemption from customs duties only where special
     arrangements have been made with the exporter developing countries .
     The Agreement between the Community and India on jute and coir manufactures
     and the Agreement between the Community and Bangladesh on jute products
     enabled tariff preferences to be opened on an autonomous basis for these
     two countries for the products in question . At the expiry of these
     Agreements on 31 December 1975 , it was nevertheless considered appropriate ,
     in the context of the genralised system of preferences for 1976 , to
     extend , at least for the first half of 1976 , the preferential tariff
     arrangements granted to these same beneficiary countries in respect
     of jute and coit products , with the addition of jute twine , cordage ,
     ropes and cables ( tariff heading ex 59.04 ). In the context of this extension
     and because of the satisfactory special measures already adopted , Sri
     Lanka was granted the same preferential tariff arrangements as India
     for coir products and Thailand was granted the same preferential tariff
     arrangements as Bangladesh and India for jute products .
3.   The above extension of the preferential tariff arrangements was based
     on the consideration that negotiations would be started in good time
     for the implementation of the special measures set out on the offer to
     UNCTAD and that , in this context , the conditions which the Community
     intended to negotiate with the countries concerned would be known and
     agreed on .
                                                                   •• •/• ••
 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 310 , 29«ll*1975 t p « 46 »
 ---pagebreak---                                   2
4. The negotiations with India concerning coir products have recently
   been completed . The main result is a reduction of 80% in the
   Common Customs Tariff duties as from 1 July 1976 .
   The negotiations with India concerning jute products are still in
   progress , while those with Bangladesh are shortly to begin .
5. In these circumstances , the objectives of this proposal for a
   Regulation , in the autonomous context of the generalised system
   of preferences for 1976 , are as follows :
   as regards coir products , to introduce on 1 July 1976 and apply
   until the end of the current preferences year , . the above reduction
   of 80% in the Common Customs Tariff duties in favour of India , and
   also Sri Lanka ;
   as regards jute products , to extend for the same period , the
   provisional preferential tariff arrangements established for
   the first half of 1976 in favour of India , Bangladesh and also
   Thailand .
6. As regards this extension in respect of jute products , the
   Commission wishes to point out at this time that its spokesman
   at the level of the Council could adapt this proposal in the
   light of developments in the negotiations with India and Bangladesh ,
   while ensuring tariff arrrangements no less favourable for Thailand .
7. Concerning in practice the extension , in a very large measure ,
   for the second half of 1976 , of measures adopted for the first
   half of 1976 , on the subject of which the European Parliament was
   consulted , it does not now seem necessary to undertake a further
   consultation .
 ---pagebreak---                                Proposal for
                  COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC)'
     on the opening of tariff preferences in the form of a partial
     suspension of customs duties for jute manufactures originating
     in India , Thailand and Bangladesh and for coir manufactures
     originating in India and Sri Lanka
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Whereas , within the context of UNCTAD , the European Economic Community
offered to grant tariff preferences on finished and semi-finished products
coming from developing countries ; whereas the preferential treatment
proposed in that offer covers , as a general rule,' all finished and semi­
finished industrial products covered by Chapters 25 to 99 of the Brussels
Nomenclature which originate in developing countries ;
Whereas the offer made by the Community includes a clause stating that
the Community drew up the offer on the assumption that all the main
industrialised countries which are members of the OECD would participate
in granting preferences and would make similar efforts in this direction ;
whereas , moreover , it is evident from the conclusions worked out in UNCTAD
that this offer , while being of a temporary nature , does not constitute
a binding commitment and , in particular , may be withdrawn wholly or in part
at a later date ; whereas this possibility may be adopted inter alia with
a view to remedying any unfavourable situations which might arise in the
ACP States following the implementation of the generalised system of
preferences ;
Whereas , however , as regards jute and coir products , the said offer
includes the elimination of customs duties only where special measures
have been made with the exporter developing countries ;
 ---pagebreak---                                     2
Wheres the Agreements concluded between the Community and India on jute
                        2
and coir manufactures expired on 31 December 1975 ; whereas , pending the
conclusion of a new agreement with India setting out , in particular , the
conditions for the implementation of the above-mentioned special measures ,
 the Community has decided that it is appropriate to extend for the first
                                  3
half of the 1976 preferences year the preferential tariff arrangements m
force during 1975 ; whereas , since the situation in Bangladesh as regards
jute products is substantially the same as that described above , the same
arrangements have also been adopted for that country ;
Whereas the negotiations with India in respect of coir products have
recently been completed and provide in particular for a reduction of 80% in
the Common Customs Tariff duties as from 1 July 1976 ; whereas thai: reduction
 should be applied on the above date in the context
of the generalised system of preferences ; whereas , the progress achieved in
the work on the new negotiations with India and Bangladesh concerning jute
products suggests that at the present time the preferential tariff
arrangments adopted for the first half of 1976 should be extended only
until the end of this year ; whereas , because of the special measures
adopted between the Community and Sri Lanka in respect of coir manufactures
and between the Community and Thailand in respect of jute manufactures , the
adaptation or extension of the current preferential tariff arrangements can
also be decided on for those two countries ;
                                                                  4
Whereas , in accordance with Protocol 23 to the Act of Accession     the
generalised system of preferences became fully applicable in the new
Member States on 1 January 1974 ;
Whereas the benefit of these suspension8 should be restricted to the said
products originating in India , Bangladesh , Thailand and Sri Lanka , the
  0J No L 82 , 27.3.1974 , p . 11
20J No L 82, 27.3.1974 , p . 17
30J No L 310, 29.11.1975, p . 46.
40J No L 73, 27.3.1972 , p . 14
 ---pagebreak---                                         3
concept of originating products " being determined in accordance with the
procedure laid down in Article 14 of Council Regulation (EEC ) No 802 / 68 of
27 June 1968 on the common definition of the concept of the origin of
goods' ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
                                   Article 1
1.     From 1 July until 31 December 1976 the Common Customs Tariff on the
       products listed hereinafter shall be suspended at the following pre­
       ferential rates :
   CCT                                                           Preferential
heading                            Description                  rates of duty
   No                                                                 %
57.06            Yarn of jute or of other textile bast                3.2
                 fibres of heading No 57.03
57.10            Woven fabrics of jute or of other textile
                 bast fibres of heading No 57.03 :
                 A. Of a width of not more than 150 cm and
                     weighing per m2 :
                     I. Less than 310 g                               8
                   II . Not less than 310 g but not more than
                         500 g                                        7.6
                  III . More than 500 g                               6
                 B. Of a width of more than 150 cm                   11
58.02            Other carpets , carpeting , rugs , mats and
                 matting , and " Kelem", " Schumacks " and
                 "Karamanie " rugs and the like (made up or
                 not ) :
                 A. Carpets , carpeting , rugs , mats and matting :
                 ex I. Coir mats and coir matting and tufted
                         carpets of coir                              4.6
                         Tufted carpets of other textile bast
                         fibres of heading No 57.03                   9.2
                ex II . Carpets , carpeting , rugs , mats and
                         matting , of jute or of other textile
                         bast fibres of heading No 57.03              0
                                                                           0♦ •/• • •
 0J No L 148 , 28.6.1968 , p. 1
 ---pagebreak--- ex 59.04        Twine , cordage , ropes and cables , plaited
                or not , of jute or of other textile bast
                fibres of heading No 57.03                                 0
   62.03        Sacks and bags , of a kind used for the
                packing of goods :
                A. Of jute or of other textile bast fibres
                   of heading No 57.03 :
                   II . Other :
                        a) Of fabric weighing less than
                            310 g/m2        ^                              8
                        b ) Of fabric weighing not less than
                            310 g /m2 but not more than 500 g /m2          7.6
                        c ) Of fabric weighing more than 500 g /m2          6
2.   On importation of the said goods into Denmark and the United Kingdom ,
     the duties to be applied shall be those of their customs tariff
     suspended at the level of those applied in 1973 . For textile products
     falling within heading Nos 57.06 and 57.10 , and subheading 62.03 A II ,
     referred to in paragraph 1 , Ireland shall align its national customs -
     tariff duties on the abovementioned preferential rates on the dates
     and according to the timetable fixed in Article 39 ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) of the
     Act of Accession .
3t   The benefit of the suspensions referred to in paragraph 1 shall be
     restricted to products originating in India until 30 June 1976 .
     Products originating in Bangladesh and Thailand , except coir mats and
     matting and tufted carpets of coir , shall also benefit from these
     suspensions . Coir mats and matting and tufted carpets of coir
     originating in Sri Lanka shall also benefit from the suspensions .
     For the purposes of this Regulaton , the concept of "originating
     products " shall be determined in accordance with the procedure laid
     down in Article 14 of Regulation (EEC) No 802 / 68 .
                                 Article 2
1.   The Commission , in close collaboration with the Member States , shall
     take all necessary measures to ensure that the foregoing provisions
     are applied .
                                                                   • • •/• • •
 ---pagebreak---                                    5
2.   The Member States shall regulaiy inform the Commission of imports
     benefiting under the preceding provisions .
                              Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 July 1976 .
     This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly
     applicable in all Member States .
Done at Brussels ,                                      For the Council
                                                         The President