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In the case of textiles while these are nominally included
in the EEC scheme certain highly restrictive duty free quotas have been opened to a selection of UNCTAD
beneficiaries who were prepared to accept some overall
limits on their cotton and directly competitive textile exports to the Six (those countries in other words who have entered into arrangements under the Long Term Arrangement for cotton textiles with the Community);
on other sensitive textiles more extensive duty free!
quotas have been opened to all UNCTAD beneficiaries except
Hong Kong.
3
A second essential point of background is that we
shall on 1 January 1972 be changing our import policy on
•
cotton textiles. We shall be imposing a tariff near the level of the CET on supplies from Commonwealth sources
which hitherto entered duty free and at the same time
we shall be abandoning quota restrictions.
This change
Their fear is
of policy is not popular in the Community. that unimpeded by quantitative restrictions imports will
pour into the UK; this would make it impossible for the enlarged Community to defend to the LDC's a common import policy which would be other than (in the eyes of the Six)
too generous. We do not think that these apprehensions are justified (imports into the UK in 1969 and 1970
were in fact below the quota levels).
among the Six remain.
But the apprehensions
4
We have told the Six that if we enter the Community
we shall adapt our GPS scheme to theirs.
!
And we secured
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