CELEX: 51980PC0678
Language: en
Date: 1980-11-07 00:00:00
Title: Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION concerning the amendment of tariff concessions concerning certain cheeses (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (80) 678
Vol. 1980/0216
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 ---pagebreak---   COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                 COM(80 ) 678 final
                                                 Brussels , 7 November 1980
                               Recommendation for a
                                 COUNCIL DECISION
        concerning the amendment of tariff concessions concerning certain
                                        cheeses
                    ( submitted to the Council by the Commission)
                           pf
                           ita
                                  ^ 3 . -V.-c    i)yi
C0MC80 ) 678 final
 ---pagebreak---                                   ' EXFLi'r'^r' HÏ F7MCRANDUM
1 . During the renegotiations under Article XXVIII of the GA7T , which took
    place between 1966 j.id 1 968 with Switzerland ,. Finland and Austria , the
    Community granted certain concessions to those countries , namely :
       ( i ) binding under GATT of ceilings on import levies on Emmentaler ,
             Gruyere , Sbrinz , Appenzell and Bergkase cheeses .. Different ceilings
          ; were applied to the levies on those products according to the
             presentation of the products ( whole cheeses , pieces packed in vacuum )
             and the prices to be observed on importation into the Community . - In
             addition , a clause on the automatic adjustment of these prices was
     .       agreed ;                                             ■ v
    ( ii ) "autonomous" fixing of an upper limit in respect of Switzerland ,
             Austria and Finland ( by exchange of letters ) for the levy charged at
             the frontier on certain processed cheeses for which a minimum price
             must be observed
2 . Since their entry into force , these Concessions have remained unchanged ,
    apart from the automatic adjustment of import prices for Emmentaler cheese
3 . The trend of imports of the products in question into the Community shows ,
    in the case of Emmentaler cheeses , that total Community imports have
    stabilized at around 51 000 to 55 000 tonnes , though imports from Austria
    have been falling steadily since 1976 . In the case of processed cheeses ,
  ■ imports from Switzerland have stayed at around 3 600 tonnes since 1974 ,
    whilst imports from Austria and to a lesser extent from Finland have risen
    substantially ( see Annex I ),                  , '
M. At the recent Multilateral Trade Negotiations (Tokyo Round ), certain EFTA
    countries (Switzerland , Austria , Finland , Norway ) requested concessions in
    respect of agricultural products , notably cheese .
 ---pagebreak---                                             2 -
     It „was agreed with those countries that no negotiations would be undertaken
     in the context of the MTTN but that their requests would be examined
     subsequently on a bilateral and reciprocal basis .     -
5 . Since the completion of the MTN , Switzerland , Finland ,v Austria and Norway
     have reiterated their requests concerning cheese , pointing out that other
     non- Community countries such as Australia , Canada and New Zealand had
     obtained concessions in this sector whilst they themselves had been
     excluded from such negotiations .    Their main requests are for an adjustment
     of the GATT Emmentaler concessions (Switzerland , Finland , Austria ) and the
     inclusion of Jarlsberg cheese in this concession (Norway ).
     These countries also indicated that they would be willing to give
     undertakings ( on imports as well as exports to the EEC ) if the Community
     agreed to meet all or some of their requests .
6 . The Commission suggests that the Community should agree to the request from
     these countries to open negotiations , both for the reasons given above and
     also because the EEC has requests of its own to make to the EFTA countries
     concerning the cheese sector .
7 . The Commission accordingly recommends the Council , under Article 113(3 ) of
     the EEC Treaty , to authorize it to open negotiations , on a reciprocal
     basis , with Switserland , Finland , Austria and Norway , with a view to
   " amending the tariff concessions granted on both sides in the cheese
     sector .    The Article 113 committee- will assist the Commission in the
     conduct of the negotiations .              '
                                          y
     Ihe. Commission 's recommendation for a Council Decision is attached as
     lii'lDSX II _       ,        '
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                                                      ANNEX I ( a )
                                EEC IMPORTS OF PROCESSED CHEESE - 1975 to 1979
b = bound / nb = non- bound
»                               1975                1976         * :        1977         :          1978        ::      1979       :
                                        a                                              – «
                                                              f
                                     nb :       b   .  :      nb ;       bi    : nb      :   ;  î>'    :     nb :     b    :    nb ;
                       %     \>
                                  «     «    .    '    4                             •   «       •M    *                    ! .
                                                         > –– • -–– <
                                                                                                         )      4i          «
                       a                4»             i»           4                                                              *
                                                                                                         »      4
                                                       «
: From Finland         î    4 110 :      s     5 573 ::       117 i:    3 149 :   530 ::       6 545 :: 249 :;      6 227 : 220 :
:       Switzerland    : 39 016 : 193 : 38 331          ::    28 :: 44 397 :        94 :; 40 688 :: 157 :: 41 971 : 3"0
:       Austria        :    7 880 : 633 :      8 815 ': 508 ::          7 746 :   655 ::       7 636 :: 220 ::      7 089 : 103 :
;       Total          : 51 006 ; 826 : 52 719 :: 583 :: 55 292 : 1 279 :: 54 869 :: 626 : 55 287 : 663
                                                                                           1             •       i»
î GRAND TOTAL 0F                   a
                                   m     *
                                                         P
                                                         »
                                                                    '1
                                                                     <                     »             »        »
 î IMPORTS              : 51 026 : 833 : 52 756          : 604         55 293 : 1 311      : 54 946 : 677 : 55 294 : 820 :
                                                                                                                            *
                        »                • V             »        A  <                                   9
                                                                                                         • •      »
                                                         »                                 »
                        • -        »     β
Source : Nimexe
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                   ANNEX 1 ( b )
                               EEC IMPORTS OF PROCESSED CHEESE - 1975 to 197.9
                                                                                             tonnes
                                 I
                                                                           1973   :        1979      :
•                   +
                          1975 ' :           1976      :        1977 :
                                                                     *          – *              w *
                                                    .. •
                                                                                                  1 •
                                                                     «                                •   -
                                                                     «
                                      «
*                    •
                                      •   '
                                               90       :        141  ::    173    ::       215       :
 : From Finland      !      *•        •
                         3 17*1       : ■ 3 703         ::     3 857  ':  3 ^70     !:  3 613         :
 :      Switzerland :
                                            1 997        ■;   '2 694   :: 3 218      :  4 613         :
 :      Austria       :    951         :
                                            5 790         : -  6 692    : 6 861      :  8 441          :
 :      Total         :  4 125         :
                                                                                                    ' *
                                       β
                                                                                     :
  : GRAND TOTAL OF    :
                         4 284          :   5 981         :    6 851    : 7 177       : 9 489           :
  ; IMPORTS            :
                                                                                      »  '              •
                                                                                      :                 *
   :                   :           <a   •
                                                 I.
                                                           *
 Source : Niroexe
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                       s
                                                                         ANNEX II
                       RECOMMENDATION FOR A COUNCIL DECISION
      concerning the amendment of tariff concessions concerning certain cheeses
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,    .
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community , and
in .particular Article 113 thereof ,
Having regard to the Recommendation from the Commission , '
Whereas , during the negotiations held between 1966 and 1968 with Switzerland ,
Finland and Austria under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade , the Community granted concessions to those countries ;
Whereas these countries have requested that" those concessions be amended and whereas
 it would appear appropriate to accede to certain of those requests subject to a con­
dition of reciprocity;
Whereas the Community has certain requests to make to those countries
concerning the same product sector ;
Whereas negotiations should therefore be opened on a . reciprocal basis with
Switzerland , Finland , Austria and Norway in respect of the cheese sector ,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
                                     Sole Article
The Commission is hereby authorized to open negotiations on a reciprocal
                                                                      /
basis with Switzerland , Finland , Austria and Norway , with a view to amending ,
the tariff concessions granted on both sides in the cheese sector .