•
! authority from the Conference in February for discussion
with the Commission of the technical modalities of this
These detailed discussions have now been
adaptation.
concluded. And we can now see clearly the problems involved.
The problems
5
Apart from the date of adaptation and the tricky
question of cotton textiles no major problems arise. In
the case of both schemes we shall essentially be giving
duty free entry to the same list of developing countries
for most manufactured goods; in fact by adapting to the
EEC scheme we shall have the benefit of safeguards in the
form of quantitative limits on a range of sensitive items.
Our industry has welcomed this. This leaves the two
problems of substance the date of adaptation and cotton
textiles.
Date of adaptation to the EEC scheme
6.
We do not think that adaptation can reasonably
take place before 1 January 1974 since the generalised
preference scheme of the EEC is expressed in terms of
the Common External Tariff to which we shall only start
to move on 1 January 1974. We therefore have in mind to
propose to the Conference that we should adapt to the
EEC scheme on that date. From informal discussions with the
Commission and the Member States we think that this proposal
should not present undue difficulty.
Cotton textiles
7
The question of cotton textiles is more difficult.
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