CELEX: 51976PC0525
Language: en
Date: 1976-10-12
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION concerning import arrangements for certain textile products originating in the Republic of Singapore (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (76) 525
Vol. 1976/0161
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                        ■  <     "  ·
                                          COM(76 ) 525 final .
   ,                                      Brussels , 12 October 1976 .
                                                                \
                                                               ■ \
                                                          V
                      PROPOSAL FOR "A COUNCIL REGULATION
             concerning import arrangements for certain textile products
                                               /
                     originating m vthe Republic of Singapore
                ( submitted to the Council by the Commission)
                                                                       -■
               ■ Λ
  COM (7 6) 525 final
 ---pagebreak---                                     EXPLANATORY MSTORAIIDTjM
   1 . By a Decision of 16 June 1975 »,    Council authorized the Commission to open
   negotiations with the Republic of Singapore for tho conolusion of an agreement 6n
   trade in textile products .
   2 . In accordance with this Council Decision and in consultation with the
   Article 113 Committee , the Commission held negotiations with Singapore on
   22 and 26 September 1975-
  Following these negotiations , a draft Agreement va3 drawn up and initialled by
  the Heads of Delegation on 27 September 1975 * The Commission has submitted to
  the Council a recommendation for a regulation concluding this Agreement .
  3 . The draft Agreement provides in particular for voluntary restraint to be
  applied by the Singapore authorities , within agreed quantitative limits , to
  exports of certain textile products to the Community , and supervision by the
  Community to ensure that these limits are observed .
  In order to enable this supervision to be carried out , this proposal for a
  regulation envisages the adoption of arrangements making the importation into
  the Community of the products in question subject to quantitative limits .
  4 . The initialled Agreement naturally concerns only products originating in and
  coming from Singapore . The Singapore authorities therefore apply voluntary
  restraint only in respect of direct exports to the Community . Thus products
, falling within the categories covered by the Agreement and originating in
  Singapore may be freely exported to the Community via other third countries .
  The Community can oppose indirect exports of this kind , since the Agreement
  only requires it to admit products originating in and coming from Singapore
  which are accompanied by export licences complying with the provisions of the
  Agreement .  Since indirect imports of this kind run counter to the objective
  of the agreement , the import arrangements adopted by the Community must be
  applied to products originating in Singapore irrespective of where they come
  from .                                                                             t
  5 . It is proposed that the Community 's quantitative limits be administered
  according to the procedure for administering Community quantitative quotas
  established by Regulation (EEC) NO l023/70 » in particular Article 11 thereof.
  Under this procedure , the Council must fix the criteria according to which the
  quantitative limits will be allocated .
  These allocation criteria are those which have guided the preliminary work carried
  out within the Council with a view to the adoption of the decisions relating
  to the opening of bilateral negotiations under the Arrangement regarding
  International Trade in Textiles . Allocation^ will therefore "be based on these
  criteria and in particular on the results of the work already undertaken.
    This allocation will be the subject of a separate regulation to be adopted by
    the Commission, likewise on the basis of Regulation No 1023/70.
 ---pagebreak--- 6.  Hie Agreement negotiated provides for the automatic and immediate
acceptance by the Community authorities of imports subject to a ceiling
on production "by the importer of an export licence issued "by the
Singapore authorities , certifying that the quantities in question have
been charged against the agreed ceiling . As regards administration by the
Community , this stipulation means that the Member States' authorities are
obliged to grant import licences , automatically and immediately , on
production of a request accompanied by an export licence , provided that
the agreed limits are observed .
7.  In order to enable the objectives of the Agreement to be fulfilled as
soon as possible , the Commission proposes that the Council adopt the     ;
regulation the draft of which is annexed at the earliest possible date .
 ---pagebreak---                      PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION
       concerning import arrangements for certain textile products
       originating in the Republic of Singapore
THE COUNCIL OP THE EUROPEAN COMIiUJIITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community , and
in particular Article 113 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas , in the context of the Arrangement regarding International Trade in
Textiles , the European Economic Community and the Republic of Singapore have
negotiated an Agreement on trade in textile products ; whereas the Commission
has submitted to the Council a recommendation for a Regulation concluding that
Agreement ;                              • .
Whereas , for the purpose of applying the Agreement which has been negotiated ,
import arrangements for the products in question should be adopted ;
Whereas the Agreement requires the Community to admit imports of certain textile
products within quantitative limits , the observance of which will be
guaranteed by an agreed system of bilateral checking;
Whereas , appropriate provisions applicable in the Community should therefore be
adopted for 1976 cM 1977 » including the criteria for the allocation of the
quantitative limits agreed with Singapore ;
Whereas , because of the considerable disparities between the conditions
currently governing imports of the products concerned into the Member States
and because of the particular sensitivity of the Community 's textile industry ,
standardization of these import conditions can only be achieved progressively ;
whereas the criterion to be adopted for the allocation of the Community
quantitative limits should therefore be the gradual adjustment of the quantities
admitted under current import conditions to market supply requirements ;
Whereas steps should be taken to ensure that there is no evasion of the
objectives of the Agreement by indirect imports of products originating in
Singapore ;
 Whereas the quantitative Limits laid down in the Agreement apply to exports
 from Singapore , and whereas the goods imported therefore should be charged
 against the quantitative limit fixed for the year in which these goods were
 exported from Singapore ;
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas for certain i.e;ctilc products , the Agreement provides for a consultation
 procedure enabling safeguard measures to "be adopted where there is a real risk
 of market disruption;      whereas , in accordance with this procedure , Singapore
has undertaken to apply voluntary restraint in respect of its exports of certain .
 textile products to certain Member States ; whereas the observance of these
 quantitative limits will be guaranteed by an agreed system of bilateral checking;
 Whereas , to this end , quantitative limits should be fixed for imports of these
 products into the Member States in question, and detailed rules should be laid
 down for their administration by the Member States ;
 Whereas the Agreement provides that those' products which enter the Community 's customs
territory under inward processing or other temporary importation arrangements and are
 re-exported therefrom in their original state or after processing should not be
 charged against the agreed quantitative limits ;
 Whereas , account being taken of the provisions of Article 12 of the Arrangement
 regarding International Trade in Textiles , on which the abovementioned Agreement    '
 between the European Economic Community and Singapore is based , this Agreement        ,
 does not apply to textile products of silk or of flax or ramie ,
  Whereas the quantitative limits established under the Agreement between Singapore
  and the Community for the year 1975 have not been fully used and whereas Singapore
  has notified the Community of its intention to carry over to 1976 the inused
 portions of the quantitative limits for 1975 , to the extent alloved under
 Article 7 of the said Agreement ,.         ■                        -          .
Has ADOPTED THIS REGULATION
                                  Article 1
1 . Imports into the Community of the textile products listed m Annex A ,
originating in the Republic of Singapore and exported between 1 January 1976        ~
and 31 December 1977 ? shall be subject to the quantitative restrictions agreed
between the Community and Singapore and set out in that Annex .
2 . These quantitative limits shall be allocated among the Member States in
accordance with the procedure laid doxvn in Council Regulation (EEC ) Eo 1023/70
of 25 May 1970 establishing a common procedure for administering quantitative
quotas 1 , and in particular in Article 11 thereof, in such a way as to ensure the
expansion and orderly development of trade in textiles and to permit amounts to
be carried over or brought forward from one year to another .
However , the allocation shall be made on the basis of the import volumes admitted
under the conditions currently applied in the Member States and shall provide
for annual rates of increase that are appreciably higher for those Member States
whose import volumes are relatively the lowest , in order to align them gradually
with market supply requirements .
3 . The competent authorities of the Member States concerned shall , within the
quantitative limits prescribed , automatically authorize the import of the products
referred to in paragraph 1 immediately upon production by the importer of the
original of the export licence issued by the relevant Singapore authorities and
containing the details sot out in Annex C.
 J-OJ Ho L 124 , 8.6.1970 , p.l .
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 3 -
4 . Authorized imports shall "be charged against the quantitative limits valid
for the year during which the products were taken aboard in Singapore for
export to the Community .
5 . Products which enter the Community customs territory under inward
processing or other temporary importation arrangements and are re-exported
therefrom in their original state or after processing shall not be charged
against the quantitative limits referred to in paragraph 1 .
                                   Article 2
1 . Notwithstanding paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 9 imports into the Community of the
textile products listed in Annex B originating in Singapore shall not "be
subject to quantitative restrictions .
 2. In the 1-Iember States specified in Annex B, imports of the textile products refer
red to in paragraph 1 and exported from Singapore between Uanuary 1976 and 31 De-/
cember 1977 shall be subject to the quantitative limits stated in that Annex .
3 . The quantitative limits referred to in Paragraph 2 may "be modified according
to the procedure laid down by Regulation (ESC ) Ko 1023/70» and in particular
Article 11 thereof .
4 . Paragraphs 3 , 4 and 5 of Article 1 shall apply to the quantitative restrictions
referred to in this Article .
                                   Article 3
Imports into the Community of the textile products referred to "below , originating
in Singapore and accompanied "by a certificate issued and endorsed "by the relevant
Singapore authorities ^ and containing the details set out in Annex D , shall not
"be subject to quantitative restrictions :
    ( i ) cotton handloom fabrics of the cottage industry , containing not more than
          5/o by weight of man-made fibres , being fabrics which are both traditionally
          of the kind woven on handlooms and actually woven on a loom for which the
          motive power is' provided entirely by the operators ( that is where the three
          primary movements of weaving, namely shedding, picking and beating, are
          induced by hand or foot and no other source of power is used );
  ( ii) goods made up by the cottage industry from such handloom fabrics ;
 (iii ) traditional Singapore folklore handicraft textile products cut , sewn, or
          otherwise fabricated by hand in cottages which are units of the cottage
          industry .
 ^Department of Trade – Ministry of Finance - Singapore .
 ---pagebreak--- This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following it publication
in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
This Regulation shall he "binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all
1'Iezaber States .
Done at Brussels ,                                     For the Council
                                                       The President
 ---pagebreak--- ANNEX A : Quantitative limits referred to in Article 1 ---pagebreak--- M -U-i      limits r»f«nrv»'i + n i * ANMEE B ? Quantitative limits referred to in Article 2 1 1 - : A,^vvi
                                                                                                                 Quantitative
                                                                                                 Member Unit s        l imit s
   Category     COT heading      NIKEXE                                Description
                                                                                                 State
                No               code      ( 19T6 )                                                                      1976
       2            55-09        55.09 - all codes          Other woven fabrics of cotton :      France  1000 kg      1.320
                                                                                                 Italy                   666
       2 a      ex  55.09        55 - 09-03; 04 ; 05 ;     - Other than unbleached and           Prance  1000 kg         300
                                 51 ; 52 ; 53 ; 54 ;         bleached
                                 55 ;  56; 57 ; 59 ; 61 ;
                                 63 ;  64 ; 65 ; 66; 67 ;
                                 69 ;  ex71 ; 81 ; 82 ;
                                 83 ;  84 ; 86; 87 ; 92;
                                 93 ; 97 .
                    60.05                                 Outer garments and other articles      Prance Items    2.090.000
                                                          knitted or crocheted, not elastic
                                                          nor rubberized:
                                                          ex A. Outer garments and other
                                                          articles :
                                 60 . 05-01 ; 22 ; 23 ;   – Jerseys , pull–overs , slip–overs ,
                                 24 ; 25 ; ex 29 ; 31 ;      twinsets , cardigans , bed jackets,
                                 33 ; 34 ; ext 39-           and jumpers , other than of silk
                                                             or waste silk or of flax or
                                                             ramie .
                 ex 61.03        61.03-11 ; 15 ; ex 19; Ken 's and boys * under garments         Franc e It ems
                                                                                                                 1.760.000
                                 31 ; 35 ; ex 39 .        including collars , shirt fronts
                                                          and cuffs :   .
                                                           -   Other than of silk or waste
                                                               silk or of flax or ramie
                                                                                                                 1.9.1976 - 31 . 8.7c
                     61.02                                Women 's , girls * and infants'        France Items       750 000
                                                          outerganr.ents :
                                                          cx B. Other than babies' garments :
                                                          -    Blouses and shirt-blouses
                                                               - of synthetic textile fibres
 ---pagebreak---                                                            ANT3EX C
          Details referred to in Article 1 C 3 J
                                                         1
The export licences issued by the Singapore authorities for products
covered by this Regulation shall specify or contain:
1.   the destination, and in particular the Member State for which
     the goods are intended;
2.   the sériai number;
3.   the name and address of the importer;
4.   the name and address of the exporter;
5.   the net weight , in kilograms or tonnes , and the valuo of the
     products covered by the licence ;
6.   the category against which the product has been charged by the
     Singapore authorities and the description of the product ;
7.   a certificate to the effect that the quantity in question has
     been charged against the Member State of destination* s share of
     the agreed ceiling for exports to the Community,    or, where
     appropriate , that the quantity is intended for immediate re-export ,
     or for re-export after processing, from the Community;'
8.   the year when the products were exported, that is when they
     were taken aboard in Singapore for export to the Community.
 Department of Trade – Ministry of Finance – Singapore .
 ---pagebreak---                                                          AOTïEX D
               Certification referred to in Article "]
  The certixicate issued "by the relevant Singapore authorities for the
  produces referred to in Article 3 of this Regulation shall contain:
  The following heading;
  "Certificate in respect of cotton handloom fabrics and products thereof*
         Name and address of manufacturer.
         A'ame and address of exporter.
         Name and address of importer within the Community.
         Description of goods .
        Quantity ( in tonnes or items).
        Same of vessel or flight number.
        Port or airport of destination.
        The following certification:
 'This is to certify that the above shipment consists of:
    ( i) cotton hagdloom fabrics (as defined in Article A , 1 ( i ) 0f the
          Agreement ) containing not more than 5% by weight of man-made
          j.xbres , or
  ( n) goods made up by the cottage industry from cotton handloom
          fabrics ( as defined in Article 4.1 < i ) of the Agreement , or
( iii) traditional Singapore folklore handicraft textile products
          out , sewn or otherwise fabricated by hand in cottages whioh
          are units of the cottage industry.
                                  Signed                            »»
                 f Trade . Knistry of ^
Regulation.10*18 r0ferred "to are thosa set out in Article 3 of this