CELEX: 51975PC0217
Language: en
Date: 1975-05-21
Title: Proposal for a REGULATION (EEC) increasing the amounts of the Community tariff quotas opened for 1975 by Regulation (EEC) No 3110/74 for certain handwoven fabrics, pile and chenille made from silk or couton, and amending the list of textile products entitled to be admitted under such quotas (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (75) 217
Vol. 1975/0079
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                                           COM(75 ) 217 final
                                           Brussels , 21 May 1975
                                 Proposal for a
                              REGULATION ( EEC )
              increasing the amounts of the Community tariff
              quotas opened for 1975 "by Regulation ( EEC ) No
              3110/74 for certain handwoven fabrics , pile and
              chenille made from silk or couton , and amending
              the list of textile products entitled to be
              admitted under such quotas
              ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
COr* ( 75 ) 217 final
 ---pagebreak---                                EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
  On. 2 December 1974 the Council adopted Regulation (EEC) N O 3110/74 on the
   opening of Community tariff quotas for 1975 for certain handwoven fabrics
  made from silk and cotton# The opening of tariff quotas for such products ,
  which has continued for several years , forms part of Corxiunity policy with
  regard to certain countries to specifically encourage small-scale -     craft
  productions . Products from several countries , including India and Pakistan ,
  are currently admitted under such quotas .
  It must "be "borne in mind , that the proposal submitted by the Commission to the
  Council at the end of 1974 on the opening .of the tariff quotas for 1975 pro–
. vided for an increase in both of the quota amounts from 2 to 3 million u.a.
  Although the other proposal , which would allow several other handmade pro­
  ducts to be admitted under such quotas , had been incorporated , the increase
  referred to above had not . The Commission considered that the matter must
  be re-examined , This re–examination concerns the course followed by the
  Community in carrying put its trade policy vis-a-vis developing countries ,
  and in particular undertakings made to implement the October 1973 declarac­
  tion of intent on trade relations with certain Asiatic countries following
  the accession of the new Member States .      1                      .
 The Indian delegation, at the second meeting of the , Joint Commission EEC/
  India, held in December . 1974 j expressed its intense disappointment that
  quotas would not be increased in 1975 * It pointed out the socio-economic
  importance ofr this' branch of craftwork, on which hundreds of thousands of
 workers depended for their- livelihood (l). Although India remained the main
  ( l) See alsoj "Summary Record of the results of the second session of the
       Joint Commission EEC/lndia (Doc.           B P2 , (iii)(a) and "Minutes of
       the second session of the Joint Commission EEC/lndia" (Doc„ ......p 5 (D ))*
 ---pagebreak---                                            - 2 -
     beneficiary of the "handloora" system, it stressed that the advantages
    which it enjoyed originally , had for the rnoi part dwindled on account of the
    number of participating countries and through the inflated costs of produc­
    tion and of transport . This delegation had also requested that , in order
    to redress the situation , the contribution of each of the " handloom" quotas
    should be raised to 5 million u.a .
4 « The increase Ttfhich is the subject of this proposal also provides an oppor­
    tunity to maintain the traditional pattern of imports of such products from
    India and Paid. st an in particular which , prior to its accession ,     were impor­
    ted into the United Kingdom duty-free f the British authorities had requested ,
    both before and during the discussion on the quotas to be opened for 1975 »
    that this situation should be taken into account when fixing amounts of
    these quotas *
5 . With regard to the quotas concerned , and in particular to the reasons which
    led to their being established , it should be borne in mind , that
    – the products to be admitted under quotas are handwoven fabrics which have
       certain specific characteristics which prevent their being used for in­
       dustrial purposes , even as subsidiary components , because of their limited
      widths , lack of finishing , etc . 5
    – moreover , manufacturing certificates issued by bodies authorized by the
      respective governments of the countries allocated quotas , and recognized
      by the Community authorities , guarantee that manufacture is controlled j
    – these quotas , which were opened for the first time in 19^9 » were to comply
       in particular with a request by India (they amounted to 1 million u.a . for
       each category of fabric : silk and cotton) j
    – following the accession of the new Member States? in 1974 'the quota amounts
      were increased to 2 million u.a . j
    – such quotas , which were opened unilaterally and erga omnes , were meanwhile
       extended to other countries without an increase in the amounts 5
                                                                     ■ · · /♦ · ·
 ---pagebreak---                                          - 3 -
    – in 1975 , two new countries became entitled to have go06.3 admitted under
       such quotas , and two new products were added , without' any adjustment in
       the amounts j
    – the currently available data shows that in 1974 the quotas were to a
       la^ge extent used up for silk fabrics , and almost completely for cotton
       fabrics ,
    – the majority of. countries benefiting from these quotas are amount those
       most seriously affected by the current crisis .
6 . In view of the various matters raised, the Commission considers it neces­
     sary to adjust the quota amounts for 1975 by increasing them to 3 million
     u«a. for each category of product by means of an increase of 1 million
     u.a» in the Community reserves provided for . It therefore proposes that
     the Council adopt the Regulation annexed hereto*
                                           *
                                 *               *
             A discrepancy was discovered in the text of Regulation (^EEC) No
    33IO/74 on the opening, allocation and administration of tariff quotas for
    1975 , between on the one hand Article l(l) providing that whandwoven pile
    fabrics and chenille fabrics of cotton , other than terry towelling or simi­
    lar terry fabrics of cotton falling within heading No 55«03 and fabrics
    falling within heading No 58.05" (heading ex 53*04 of the OCT) be entitled
    to be admitted under the quota opened for the produots described under
    category (b), irrespective of the textile used , and on the other hand the -
    specimen certificates set out in the Annexes , in which the quota applies to
    silk and cotton fabrics .
                                                                 • # • ft a •
 ---pagebreak---                                      -4 -
In view of the faot that the- scope of the quotas originally extended only
to Bilk and ootton fabrics , and of the intentions stated when this tariff
heading was included in the list of products to he admitted under such. .
quotas , it is clear that the tariff preference should ;extend only to cotton
products as regards that CCT heading#
An amendment to the wording of heading ex 58.04 in Article l(l) is thorefore
necessary. The words " of cotton" are added thereby.
 ---pagebreak---                                        Proposal for a
                               Regulation (EEC ) NO
     '                                 Of             *
                     increasing the aiaounts of the Community tariff quotas
                     opened for 1975 ty Regulation (EEC) NO 3113/74 for
                     certain handwoven fabrics , pile and chenille made from
                     silk or cotton , and , amending the list of textile pro­
                   " ducts entitled to "be admitted tinder such quotas
THE COUNCIL OP THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,               >' -.              ...
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and in particular Article 113 thereof j                                         . ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission $
Whereas 'the Council adopted Regulation (EEC1)' No 3110/74^ of 2 December
1974 opening and allocating Community tariff quotas among the Member States
for 1975 for certain handwoven fabrics , pile and chenille made from silk or
cottpn , amounting to 2 000 000 units of accotint for . product falling within
heading Nos ex 50 " 09 and ex 50*^0 of thd Common Customs Tariff , and amoun­
ting to the same figure for products falling within heading Nos ex 55
ex 55.09 and ex 58»04 of the •Common Customs Tariff f
Whereas , in order to' implement the declaration of intent on commercial re­
lations with certain Asiatic countries , the quota amount in respect of these
categories of fabric . must be increased from 2 to 3 million -units of account
by m&ans of a corresponding increase in . the Community reserves provided for J
    _____  1 mmim *hmi««w
                                                                    "     /
                                                                    « • « / 9 • •
'a'0j No L 337, 16 December 1974. p. 1.
 ---pagebreak--- whereas , moreover , admission tinder the "tariff quotas provided for in re­
spect of products falling within heading No 58*04 of the Common Customs
Tariff must he limited solely to products made from cotton,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION ;
                                   Article   1
The Community tariff quotas opened in Regulation (EEC) N o 3310/74 for cer­
tain handwoven fabrics , pile and chenille , falling (i) within heading Nos ,
ex 50*09 and ex 50.10 and (ii) within . heading Nos ex 55*07 » ex 55*09 and .<
ex 58*04 of the Common Customs Tariff , shall "be increased from 2 to 3
million units of account .                                      ^
This increase of a million units of acoount involving both categories of
product shall be carried out in respect of the Community reserves provided
for in Article 2(2) of the Regulation referred to above , which shall thus
be increased                           V"
– from 800,6*00 u.a. to 1,890,^00 u.a. for silk fabrics , and                *. . .
- from 216 , ©00 u.a* to 1,216,000 u.a. for cotton textile products .
                                    Article    2
The wording of heading No ex 58.04 in the Table set out in Article 1 (l) of
Regulation (EEC) No 3310/74 is amended as follows *        ;        _
         "Handwoven pile fabrics and chenillegowebe of cotton \
          (other than terry towelling or similar terry products of
          cotton, falling within heading No 55*08 and fabrics fal­
          ling ,within heading No 58.©5)w
 ---pagebreak---        This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities *
       This Regulation shall' be binding in its entirety and directly app~
lioable in all Kember States ,
                                              For the Council ,
Done at Brussels ,
                                              The President