CELEX: 51974PC0598
Language: en
Date: 1974-05-02
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION authorizing prolongation or tacit renewal of certain trade agreements concluded between the Member States and third countries (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (74) 598
Vol. 1974/0098
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROÏEAN COMMUNITIES
                                        COM(74) 598 final
                                        Brussels, 2 May 1974
                              Proposai for a
                             COUNCIL DECISION  '
                 authorizing prolongation or tacit renewal
                  of certain trade agreements concluded
               "between the Member States and third countries
             ( submitted to the Council "by the Commission)
    COM(74) 598 final
 ---pagebreak---                         EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.      Pursuant to Article 3 of the Council Decision ( 1 ) of
16 December 19&9 on the progressive standardization of agreements
concerning commercial relations between Member States and third
countries and on the negotiations of Community agreements , the
Commission proposes that the Council authorize the Member States to
extend or tacitly renew the commercial agreements annexed to the
proposal for a Council Decision . This concerns the second group for
197^1 namely agreements whose expiry or termination date falls
before 1 May 197^»
2.      The Commission points out that among the different   acts
enumerated in the list is the Trade Agreement concluded on   23 April
1970 between Ireland and Bulgaria , valid for an indefinite  time but
subject to cancellation on six months' notice at any time .  Since
this is a agreement made with an Eastern European State and must be'
terminate by 31 December 197 ^, according to the principle adopted
at Community level , the Community accepts that the agreement may be
extended to that date , on the understanding that the Irish Government
must make provision for its termination by 30 June 197^' at the latest .
3.      Moreover , the Commission considers that the Council 's attention
should be drawn to the fact that , in accordance with Article 2 of the
aforementioned Decision of 29 March 197^, the Commission has decided
not to recomend the authorisation to extend the validity of agreements
between certain member-states and certain third countries with which
the Community has concluded an agreement of general applicability . ( 2 )
 ---pagebreak---             Indeed , consultation has shown that the provisions made in
national agreements are either exceeded by those of Community
agreements , or are incompatible with them , or identical with them*.
           t
           In the circumstances , the Commission is of the opinion that
the Community agreements in question have entirely supplanted the
corresponding national agreements , rendering these superfluous . ( See
Article 12 of the Community agreement with India , Article 6 of the
Community agreement with Uruguay and Article 6 of the Community
agreement with Argentina ).
( 1 ) O.J. No L 326 Of 29.12.1969 , p. 39
( 2 ) The following agreements , inter alia , are relevant :
      - " Accordo commerciale del 6.10.1939 e Scambio di lettere del
          7.7«19oV' between Italy and India :
      - "Handelsabkommen vom 18.4.1933" between Germany and Uruguay :
      - "Accord commercial du lk.6.19k6" between BLEU end Uruguay ;
      - "Agreement relating to Trade and Commerce and successively
          exchange of notes of. 1.12.1936" between the United Kingdom
          and Argentina .
 ---pagebreak---                                    Proposai for
                               COUNCIL DECISION
               authorizing prolongation of tacit renewal
                   of certain trade agreements concluded
             between the Member States and third countries
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 Council Decision of 16 December 1969        on
the progressive standardization of agreements concerning commercial
relations between Member States and third countries and on the
negotiations of Community Agreements , and in particular Article 3
thereof ;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ;
Whereas tacit extension beyond the end of the transitional period
has already been authorized in the case of the Agreements listed in
the Annex hereto by the Council under its Decision of 30 June 1969(2 ),
15 September 1969(3 ) , 20 December 1969(4 ), 8 June 1970(5 ),
13 July 1970(6 ), 23 May 1971(7 ), 6 June 1972(8 ) and 18 June 1973(9 ) ;
                                                                    ./.
  1) OJ No L 326 , 29.12.1969 ,     P- 39
(2)  OJ No L 169 ,  10 . 7.1969 ,   P-   2
  3) OJ No L 238 .  23 . 9.1969 ,   P*   9
( 4) OJ No L   6,    9 . 1.1970 ,   P-   1
(3)  OJ No L 133 ,  18 . 6.1970 ,   P * lk
  6) OJ No L 137 ,  18 ., 7.1970 ,  P- 29
(7)  OJ No L 122 ,   k . 6.1971 ,   P » 2k
(8)  OJ No L 133 ,  10 . 6.1972 ,   P « 61
(9)  OJ No L 189 ,  11 . 7.1973 ,   P » 45
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 2 -
Whereas the Member States concerned have , with a view to avoiding
interruption in their commercial relations . with the third countries
concerned based on agreement , requested authorization to prolong or
renew the above-mentioned Agreements j
Whereas authorization has to be granted only to maintain commercial
relations between the Member States and the third countries concerned ,
on the basis of Agreements , pending their replacement by Community
Agreements to be negotiated ; whereas such authorization should not ,
therefore , adversely affect the obligation of the Member States to
avoid and , where appropriate , to eliminate any incompatibility
between such agreements and the provisions of Community law ;
Whereas the provisions of the instruments tq be either prolonged or
renewed would not ,, furthermore , during the period under consideration ,
constitute an obstacle to the implementation of the common commercial
policy j
Whereas the Member States concerned have declared that the prolongation
or tacit renewal of these Agreements would not constitute an obstacle
to either the opening of Community negotiations with the third
countries concerned or the transfer of the commercial fabric thereof
to Community Agreements , nor would it , during the period under
consideration , hinder the adoption of the necessary measures to
complete the standardization oif the import systems of the Member
States j
Whereas , at the conclusion of the consultations provided for in
Article 2 of the Decision of 16 December 1969 I it was established ,
                                                                       7 •
as the aforesaid declarations by the Member States confirm , that
the provisions of the Agreements to be prolonged or renewed would
not , during the period under consideration , constitute an obstacle ;
to implementation of the common commercial policy ;
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 3 -
Whereas , in these circumstances , the Agreements may be either
prolonged or tacitly renewed for a period not exceeding a year ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
                               Article 1
         The trade agreements between Member States and third countries
listed in the Annex hereto may be prolonged or tacitly renewed up to
the dates specified in each case in the said Annex .
                               Article 2
         This Decision is addressed to the Member States .
Done at Luxembourg ,
                                     For the Council
                                       The Président
 ---pagebreak---              BILAG - ANHANG - ANNEX - ANNEXE - ALLEGATO - BIJLAGE
Medlemstat      Tredjeland     Aftalens art og datering                               n
                                               _                  efter forlaengeJ se
                               Art und Datum des                          Ablauf
Mitgliedstaat    Drittland
                                       Abkommens                  na-ch Ve rl ange ring
Member State    Third country  Type and date of agreement          Extended until
Etat membre      Pays tiers    Nature et date de l' accord             ^ Echéance
                                                                  après re oonduct i on
Stato membro     Paese terzo   Natura e data dell' accordo          ,     caaenzo,
                                                                    dopo il rinnovo
                                                                       Verval aatum
Lid-Staat        Derds land    Aard en datum van het akkoord
                                                                      na verlenging
BENELUX         Israël         Accord commercial       29. 8.1958         31 . 8.1975
                Portugal       Accord commercial       24. 5.1961         30. 9.1975
                Philippines    Accord commercial       14. 3.1967         11.10.1975
IKELAND         Bulgaria       Trade Agreement         23 . 4.1970        31.12.1974
                Portugal       Trade Agreement           6 . 2.1952       31.12.1974
                bpain          Trade Agreement         19.12.1951         31.12.1974
                Switzerland    Trade Agreement         26.12.1951         31.12,1974
ITALIA          Cuba           Scambio di note           9 » 9.1950        8. 9.1975
                Libano         Accordo commerciale       4.11.1955        10. 9.1975
                Svezia         Accordo commerciale     18.12.1961         31.10,1975
                Svizzera       Accordo commerciale     21.10.1950         31.10.1975
                Yemen          Protocollo addizionale
                               ( al trattato d' amicizia
                               e di relazioni economi­
                               che del 4.9*1937 )        5.10.1959        31.12.1975
DAMARK          Cameroun       Handelsaftale             8.10.1962         7.10.1975
DELTSCKLAND     EJkuador       Hande 1 sabkommen         1 . 8,1953       15.10.1975
                Kolumbien      Hande 1 sabkommen         9.11.1957        10,11.1975
UEBL            Mexique        Accord commercial       11 . 9.1950        11 . 9.1975
UNITED          Haïti          Exchange of notes for
KINGDOH                        the establishment of a
                               commercial
                               "Modus Vivendi "        25 » 2.1928        31.12.1974
                Iceland        Agreement relating to
                               trade and commerce
                               (with protocol )        19 . 5.1933        31.12.1974
                Norway         Trade Agreement         15.12.1950         31.12.1974
                Tunisia        Trade Agreement and
                               successively e change
                               of notes                17 . 1.1961        31.10.1974