CELEX: 21998A0213(02)
Language: en
Date: 1998-09-10 00:00:00
Title: Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters amending the Agreement between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on trade in textile and clothing products initialled on 15 December 1992, as last amended by the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters initialled on 1 August 1995 - Agreed Minutes

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21998A0213(02)

Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters amending the Agreement between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on trade in textile and clothing products initialled on 15 December 1992, as last amended by the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters initialled on 1 August 1995 - Agreed Minutes  

Official Journal L 041 , 13/02/1998 P. 0013 - 0080 L 319 27/12/98 P. 2

ANNEX AGREEMENTin the form of an Exchange of Letters amending the Agreement between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on trade in textile and clothing products initialled on 15 December 1992, as last amended by the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters initialled on 1 August 1995Letter No 1 LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Sir,1. I have the honour to refer to the negotiations held from 29 to 30 September and from 27 to 29 October 1997 between our respective delegations with a view to amending the Agreement between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on trade in textile and clothing products initialled on 15 December 1992 and applied from 1 January 1993, as last amended by the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters initialled on 1 August 1995 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Agreement`).2. As a result of those negotiations it was agreed to amend the Agreement as follows:2.1 The text of Article 3 is replaced by the following:'Article 31. Vietnam agrees to limit its exports to the Community of products listed in Annex II to the amounts set out therein for each Agreement year.In the allocation of quantities for export to the Community, Vietnam shall not discriminate against companies fully or partially owned by Community investors.2. Exports of textile products set out in Annex II shall be subject to a double-checking system as specified in Protocol A.3. In administering the quantitative limits referred to in paragraph 1, Vietnam shall ensure that the Community textile industry benefits from utilisation of such limits.In particular, Vietnam undertakes to reserve, as a priority, 30 % of the quantitative limits for firms in that industry for a period of three months beginning on 1 January of each year. For this purpose, contracts made with such firms during the period in question and submitted to the Vietnamese authorities during the same period shall be taken into consideration.4. To facilitate the implementation of these provisions, the Community shall provide the competent Vietnamese authorities, before 31 October of each year, with a list of interested manufacturers and processors and of the indicative quantity of products requested for each firm. To this end, the firms concerned must make direct contact with the relevant Vietnamese bodies during the period specified in paragraph 3, in order to verify what quantities are available under the reserve referred to in paragraph 3.5. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, and without prejudice to the quantitative system applicable to products subject to the operations referred to in Article 4, the Community undertakes to suspend the application of quantitative restrictions currently in force in respect of products covered by this Agreement.6. Exports of products referred to in Annex IV to the Agreement which are not subject to quantitative limits shall be subject to the double-checking system referred to in paragraph 2.`2.2 The text of Article 7 is replaced by the following:'Article 7Vietnam shall ensure that the supply of raw silk and silk waste to Community industry shall be made at conditions not less favourable than to Vietnamese domestic users.`2.3 The text of Article 9 is replaced by the following:'Article 91. In any Agreement year, advance use of a portion of the quantitative limit established in Annex II for the following year shall be authorised for each category of products up to 5 % of the quantitative limit for the current year.Amounts delivered in advance shall be deducted from the corresponding quantitative limit established for the following year.2. Carryover to the corresponding quantitative limit for the following year of amounts not used during any given Agreement year shall be authorised for each product category up to 7 % of the specific quantitative limit for the current year.3. Transfers between categories 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 shall be limited to 7 % of the quantitative limit laid down for the category to which the transfer is made.Amounts may be transferred into any category in Groups II, III, IV and V from any category in Groups I, II, III, IV and V up to 7 % of the specific quantitative limit laid down for the category to which the transfer is made.4. The table of equivalence applicable to the transfers referred to above is given in Annex I to this Agreement.5. The increase in any category of products resulting from the cumulative application of the provisons in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above during an Agreement year must not exceed 17 %.6. The Vietnamese authorities shall give the Community prior notification of any recourse to the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above.`2.4 The text of Article 10 (2) is replaced by the following:'2. Where the Community finds that, under existing arrangements for administrative control, the level of imports of products in a given category covered by paragraph 1 originating in Vietnam exceeds the preceding year's total volume of imports into the Community from all sources of products in that category by the following percentage:- 1 % for product categories in Group I,- 5 % for product categories in Group IIA,- 2,5 % for product categories in Group IIB,- 10 % for product categories in Group III,- 10 % for product categories in Group IV,- 10 % for product categories in Group V,it may request the opening of consultations in accordance with the procedure described in Article 17, with a view to reaching agreement on an appropriate restraint level for the products in that category.`2.5 The text of Article 19 (1) is replaced by the following:'1. This agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the Contracting Parties notify each other of the completion of the procedures necessary for this purpose. It shall be applicable until 31 December 2000. Thereafter, its application shall be automatically extended for a period of one year, unless either Party notifies the other by 30 June 2000 at the latest that it does not agree with the extension.In the event of extension of the Agreement up to 31 December 2001, the quantitative limits for the categories of products set out in Annex II and in the Annex to Protocol B for the year 2001 shall be the amounts set out in those annexes for the year 2000 increased by the percentage of growth applied for each category of products between the years 1999 and 2000.`2.6 Annex I to the Agreement is replaced by Annex A to this letter.2.7 Annex II to the Agreement is replaced by Annex B to this letter.2.8 Annex III to the Agreement is deleted.2.9 Annex IV to the Agreement is replaced by Annex C to this letter.2.10 The Annex to Protocol B of the Agreement is replaced by Annex D to this letter.2.11 Protocol C of the Agreement is replaced by Annex E to this letter.2.12 Annex I to the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community attached to the Agreement initialled on 1 August 1995 is replaced by Annex F to this letter.2.13 An Agreed Minute on non-discrimination in the implementation of Article 3, paragraph 1 is attached in Annex G to this letter.2.14 An Agreed Minute on transitional measures in the implementation of Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 4 during 1998 is attached in Annex H to this letter.2.15 An Agreed Minute on the conditions applicable to goods produced for the domestic market by companies operating in Vietnam fully or partially owned by Community investors is attached in Annex J to this letter.2.16 An Agreed Minute on the establishment of an electronic link between the central Vietnamese licensing office and the European Commission's central licence management system (SIGL) is attached in Annex K to this letter.2.17 An Agreed Minute on the implementation of the irrevocable duty reduction referred to in paragraph 4 of the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community, attached to the Agreement initialled on 1 August 1995 is attached in Annex L to this letter.2.18 An Agreed Minute on consultations regarding categories 1, 2 and 3 is attached in Annex M to this letter.3. I should be obliged if you would confirm the agreement of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the above amendments. Should this be the case, this letter and its accompanying Annexes, together with your written confirmation shall constitute an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the day on which the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have notified each other that the internal procedures necessary to this end have been completed. In the meantime, the amendments to the Agreement shall be applied provisionally from 1 January 1998, subject to reciprocity.Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.For the Council of the European UnionANNEX A 'ANNEX IPRODUCTS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 11. When the constitutive material of the products of categories 1 to 114 is not specifically mentioned, these products are to be taken to be made exclusively of wool or of fine hair, of cotton or of man-made fibres.2. Garments which are not recognizable as being garments for men or boys or as being garments for women or girls are classified with the latter.3. Where the expression "babies' garments" is used, this is meant to cover garments up to and including commercial size 86.>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>`ANNEX B 'ANNEX IIQUANTITATIVE LIMITS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(1)Descriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I>TABLE>`ANNEX C 'ANNEX IVPRODUCTS NOT SUBJECT TO QUANTITATIVE LIMITS, BUT SUBJECT TO THE DOUBLE-CHECKING SYSTEM REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(6) OF THE AGREEMENTDescriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I to the Agreement.Categories1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 27, 32, 33, 36, 37, 90, 115, 117, 136, 156, 157, 159, 160.`ANNEX D 'Annex to protocol BQUANTITATIVE LIMITS APPLICABLE TO ECONOMIC OUTWARD PROCESSING TRAFFICDescriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I>TABLE>`ANNEX E 'PROTOCOL CThe annual growth rate for the quantitative limits introduced pursuant to Article 10 of the Agreement shall be determined as follows:For products in categories falling within Groups I, II, III, IV or V, the growth rate shall be fixed by agreement between the Parties in accordance with the consultation procedure established in Article 17 of the Agreement.`ANNEX F 'ANNEX ITEXTILE PRODUCTS REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 3>TABLE>`ANNEX G AGREED MINUTE In the implementation of Article 3, Paragraph 1, of the Agreement, the Government of Vietnam shall follow a quota allocation policy which avoids discrimination against companies fully or partially owned by Community investors operating in Vietnam. In order to increase transparency of the quota allocation policy, the Government of Vietnam will provide the Commission with the texts of all relevant regulations and general administrative acts as promptly as they have been adopted. The Vietnamese Government also undertakes to provide the Commission with statistics regarding quota allocation. The parties will decide upon content and format of such information.At the request of either party consultation may be held on specific matters related to quota allocation.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX H AGREED MINUTE The two parties agree that, in order to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of Article 3 (3) and (4) with regard to the Agreement year 1998, and as a transitional measure. Vietnam shall continue to reserve, as a priority, 30 % of its quantitative limits for firms belonging to the Community textile industry for a period of four months beginning on 1 January 1998, on the basis of lists provided by the Community before 30 November 1997. For the subsequent Agreement years, the time limits set out by the present Agreement shall apply.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX J AGREED MINUTE The Vietnamese delegation provided information on the régime applicable to industrial foreign investments. In this regard, it was noted that foreign investment licensing arrangements normally include export performance requirements. The delegation of Vietnam confirmed that companies fully or partially owned by Community investors operating in Vietnam are entitled to sell the portion of their production not bound to export on the domestic market without administrative restrictions or special taxation.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX K AGREED MINUTE The two parties agree on the establishment of a textile licences electronic verification system through a computer link between the Ministry of Trade of Vietnam and the European Commission covering exchange of data on export licences and import authorisations issued under the provisions of the present Agreement. Technical specifications for data exchange will be agreed upon by both parties through consultations, which will be held by January 1998.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX L AGREED MINUTE The two parties reviewed the state of implementation of the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community attached to the agreement initialled on 1 August 1995. In particular, the Community delegation noted that the competent authorities of Vietnam had established a tariff reduction schedule pursuant to paragraph 4 of the above mentioned Protocol of Understanding with regard to the priority products listed in Annex II to the Protocol and that tariff reductions according to the schedule had been implemented for 1996 and 1997.The delegation of Vietnam informed the Community delegation that a decision on tariff reductions for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 had been taken on 5 November 1997 and confirmed that the progressive and irrevocable tariff reduction schedule will proceed as provided by the above mentioned Protocol.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX M AGREED MINUTE The two Parties agree that they will hold consultations in order to establish quantitative limits for categories 1, 2 and 3 in case imports into the Community of products pertaining to such categories originating in Vietnam should reach 1 500 tonnes, 2 000 tonnes, 1 000 tonnes respectively, in any Agreement year.Such consultations will be held within thirty days from the Community request.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionLetter No 2 LETTER FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Sir,I have the honour to ackhnowledge receipt of your letter of 17 November 1997 which reads as follows:'Sir,1. I have the honour to refer to the negotiations held from 29 to 30 September and from 27 to 29 October 1997 between our respective delegations with a view to amending the Agreement between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on trade in textile and clothing products initialled on 15 December 1992 and applied from 1 January 1993, as last amended by the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters initialled on 1 August 1995 (hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement").2. As a result of those negotiations it was agreed to amend the Agreement as follows:2.1 The text of Article 3 is replaced by the following:"Article 31. Vietnam agrees to limit its exports to the Community of products listed in Annex II to the amounts set out therein for each Agreement year.In the allocation of quantities for export to the Community, Vietnam shall not discriminate against companies fully or partially owned by Community investors.2. Exports of textile products set out in Annex II shall be subject to a double-checking system as specified in Protocol A.3. In administering the quantitative limits referred to in paragraph 1, Vietnam shall ensure that the Community textile industry benefits from utilisation of such limits.In particular, Vietnam undertakes to reserve, as a priority, 30 % of the quantitative limits for firms in that industry for a period of three months beginning on 1 January of each year. For this purpose, contracts made with such firms during the period in question and submitted to the Vietnamese authorities during the same period shall be taken into consideration.4. To facilitate the implementation of these provisions, the Community shall provide the competent Vietnamese authorities, before 31 October of each year, with a list of interested manufacturers and processors and of the indicative quantity of products requested for each firm. To this end, the firms concerned must make direct contact with the relevant Vietnamese bodies during the period specified in paragraph 3, in order to verify what quantities are available under the reserve referred to in paragraph 3.5. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, and without prejudice to the quantitative system applicable to products subject to the operations referred to in Article 4, the Community undertakes to suspend the application of quantitative restrictions currently in force in respect of products covered by this Agreement.6. Exports of products referred to in Annex IV to the Agreement which are not subject to quantitative limits shall be subject to the double-checking system referred to in paragraph 2."2.2 The text of Article 7 is replaced by the following:"Article 7Vietnam shall ensure that the supply of raw silk and silk waste to Community industry shall be made at conditions not less favourable than to Vietnamese domestic users."2.3 The text of Article 9 is replaced by the following:"Article 91. In any Agreement year, advance use of a portion of the quantitative limit established in Annex II for the following year shall be authorised for each category of products up to 5 % of the quantitative limit for the current year.Amounts delivered in advance shall be deducted from the corresponding quantitative limit established for the following year.2. Carryover to the corresponding quantitative limit for the following year of amounts not used during any given Agreement year shall be authorised for each product category up to 7 % of the specific quantitative limit for the current year.3. Transfers between categories 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 shall be limited to 7 % of the quantitative limit laid down for the category to which the transfer is made.Amounts may be transferred into any category in Groups II, III, IV and V from any category in Groups I, II, III, IV and V up to 7 % of the specific quantitative limit laid down for the category to which the transfer is made.4. The table of equivalence applicable to the transfers referred to above is given in Annex I to this Agreement.5. The increase in any category of products resulting from the cumulative application of the provisons in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above during an Agreement year must not exceed 17 %.6. The Vietnamese authorities shall give the Community prior notification of any recourse to the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above."2.4 The text of Article 10 (2) is replaced by the following:"2. Where the Community finds that, under existing arrangements for administrative control, the level of imports of products in a given category covered by paragraph 1 originating in Vietnam exceeds the preceding year's total volume of imports into the Community from all sources of products in that category by the following percentage:- 1 % for product categories in Group I,- 5 % for product categories in Group IIA,- 2,5 % for product categories in Group IIB,- 10 % for product categories in Group III,- 10 % for product categories in Group IV,- 10 % for product categories in Group V,it may request the opening of consultations in accordance with the procedure described in Article 17, with a view to reaching agreement on an appropriate restraint level for the products in that category."2.5 The text of Article 19 (1) is replaced by the following:"1. This agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the Contracting Parties notify each other of the completion of the procedures necessary for this purpose. It shall be applicable until 31 December 2000. Thereafter, its application shall be automatically extended for a period of one year, unless either Party notifies the other by 30 June 2000 at the latest that it does not agree with the extension.In the event of extension of the Agreement up to 31 December 2001, the quantitative limits for the categories of products set out in Annex II and in the Annex to Protocol B for the year 2001 shall be the amounts set out in those annexes for the year 2000 increased by the percentage of growth applied for each category of products between the years 1999 and 2000."2.6 Annex I to the Agreement is replaced by Annex A to this letter.2.7 Annex II to the Agreement is replaced by Annex B to this letter.2.8 Annex III to the Agreement is deleted.2.9 Annex IV to the Agreement is replaced by Annex C to this letter.2.10 The Annex to Protocol B of the Agreement is replaced by Annex D to this letter.2.11 Protocol C of the Agreement is replaced by Annex E to this letter.2.12 Annex I to the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community attached to the Agreement initialled on 1 August 1995 is replaced by Annex F to this letter.2.13 An Agreed Minute on non-discrimination in the implementation of Article 3, paragraph 1 is attached in Annex G to this letter.2.14 An Agreed Minute on transitional measures in the implementation of Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 4 during 1998 is attached in Annex H to this letter.2.15 An Agreed Minute on the conditions applicable to goods produced for the domestic market by companies operating in Vietnam fully or partially owned by Community investors is attached in Annex J to this letter.2.16 An Agreed Minute on the establishment of an electronic link between the central Vietnamese licensing office and the European Commission's central licence management system (SIGL) is attached in Annex K to this letter.2.17 An Agreed Minute on the implementation of the irrevocable duty reduction referred to in paragraph 4 of the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community, attached to the Agreement initialled on 1 August 1995 is attached in Annex L to this letter.2.18 An Agreed Minute on consultations regarding categories 1, 2 and 3 is attached in Annex M to this letter.3. I should be obliged if you would confirm the agreement of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the above amendments. Should this be the case, this letter and its accompanying Annexes, together with your written confirmation shall constitute an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the day on which the European Community and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have notified each other that the internal procedures necessary to this end have been completed. In the meantime, the amendments to the Agreement shall be applied provisionally from 1 January 1998, subject to reciprocity.Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.`I have the honour to confirm that my Government is in agreement with the contents of your letter.Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamANNEX A 'ANNEX IPRODUCTS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 11. When the constitutive material of the products of categories 1 to 114 is not specifically mentioned, these products are to be taken to be made exclusively of wool or of fine hair, of cotton or of man-made fibres.2. Garments which are not recognizable as being garments for men or boys or as being garments for women or girls are classified with the latter.3. Where the expression "babies' garments" is used, this is meant to cover garments up to and including commercial size 86.>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>>TABLE>`ANNEX IA >TABLE>ANNEX B 'ANNEX IIQUANTITATIVE LIMITS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(1)Descriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I>TABLE>`ANNEX C 'ANNEX IVPRODUCTS NOT SUBJECT TO QUANTITATIVE LIMITS, BUT SUBJECT TO THE DOUBLE-CHECKING SYSTEM REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(6) OF THE AGREEMENTDescriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I to the Agreement.Categories1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 27, 32, 33, 36, 37, 90, 115, 117, 136, 156, 157, 159, 160.`ANNEX D 'Annex to protocol BQUANTITATIVE LIMITS APPLICABLE TO ECONOMIC OUTWARD PROCESSING TRAFFICDescriptions of the goods covered by the categories referred to in this Annex are given in Annex I>TABLE>`ANNEX E 'PROTOCOL CThe annual growth rate for the quantitative limits introduced pursuant to Article 10 of the Agreement shall be determined as follows:For products in categories falling within Groups I, II, III, IV or V, the growth rate shall be fixed by agreement between the Parties in accordance with the consultation procedure established in Article 17 of the Agreement.`ANNEX F 'ANNEX ITEXTILE PRODUCTS REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 3>TABLE>`ANNEX G AGREED MINUTE In the implementation of Article 3, Paragraph 1, of the Agreement, the Government of Vietnam shall follow a quota allocation policy which avoids discrimination against companies fully or partially owned by Community investors operating in Vietnam. In order to increase transparency of the quota allocation policy, the Government of Vietnam will provide the Commission with the texts of all relevant regulations and general administrative acts as promptly as they have been adopted. The Vietnamese Government also undertakes to provide the Commission with statistics regarding quota allocation. The parties will decide upon content and format of such information.At the request of either party consultation may be held on specific matters related to quota allocation.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX H AGREED MINUTE The two parties agree that, in order to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of Article 3 (3) and (4) with regard to the Agreement year 1998, and as a transitional measure. Vietnam shall continue to reserve, as a priority, 30 % of its quantitative limits for firms belonging to the Community textile industry for a period of four months beginning on 1 January 1998, on the basis of lists provided by the Community before 30 November 1997. For the subsequent Agreement years, the time limits set out by the present Agreement shall apply.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX J AGREED MINUTE The Vietnamese delegation provided information on the régime applicable to industrial foreign investments. In this regard, it was noted that foreign investment licensing arrangements normally include export performance requirements. The delegation of Vietnam confirmed that companies fully or partially owned by Community investors operating in Vietnam are entitled to sell the portion of their production not bound to export on the domestic market without administrative restrictions or special taxation.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX K AGREED MINUTE The two parties agree on the establishment of a textile licences electronic verification system through a computer link between the Ministry of Trade of Vietnam and the European Commission covering exchange of data on export licences and import authorisations issued under the provisions of the present Agreement. Technical specifications for data exchange will be agreed upon by both parties through consultations, which will be held by January 1998.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX L AGREED MINUTE The two parties reviewed the state of implementation of the Protocol of Understanding concerning access to the Vietnamese market for products of the textile and clothing sector originating in the European Community attached to the agreement initialled on 1 August 1995. In particular, the Community delegation noted that the competent authorities of Vietnam had established a tariff reduction schedule pursuant to paragraph 4 of the above mentioned Protocol of Understanding with regard to the priority products listed in Annex II to the Protocol and that tariff reductions according to the schedule had been implemented for 1996 and 1997.The delegation of Vietnam informed the Community delegation that a decision on tariff reductions for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 had been taken on 5 November 1997 and confirmed that the progressive and irrevocable tariff reduction schedule will proceed as provided by the above mentioned Protocol.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European UnionANNEX M AGREED MINUTE The two Parties agree that they will hold consultations in order to establish quantitative limits for categories 1, 2 and 3 in case imports into the Community of products pertaining to such categories originating in Vietnam should reach 1 500 tonnes, 2 000 tonnes, 1 000 tonnes respectively, in any Agreement year.Such consultations will be held within thirty days from the Community request.For the Government of the Socialist Republic of VietnamFor the Council of the European Union