MADE.
and if imports of particular products caused disruption.
2
The levels of tariff imposed under
this Order are in line with those of the
Common External Tariff of the EEC. This
is, therefore, a move in the direction of
harmonising our tariff with the regime
applicable to us after accession.
3 In several respects, however, the textile
situation has developed rather differently
than seemed likely when the present
Government reaffirmed the policy in October
1970.
i
4 In the first place we have decided, after consultation with the European Community,
that it would be inappropriate to seek a
derogation from application to the UK from
1 January 1973 of the restraint agreements on
cotton textile imports which the Community
has with a number of exporting countries.
This means that if we ended all our present
quantitative restrictions next January, we
would have, as Community members, to reimpose
a considerable range of restrictions only
a year later. We believe that the market
would suffer substantial dislocation during
the year as suppliers and users tried to
adapt both to the ending of controls and to the
prospect of early imposition of new ones.
15