RESTRICTED
2. THE GROUP THEN TURNED TO ITS FIRST READING OF THE SEMI -
SENSITIVE LIST. THIS PROVED SOMEWHAT EASIER THAN THE DISCUSSION
OF THE SENSITIVE LIST AND IT WAS AGREED TO DROP FROM THE LIST
SOME HALF DOZEN ITEMS, WITH A FURTHER HALF DOZEN AGREED SUBJECT ONLY TO RESERVES D'ATTENTE. HOWEVER, THE BELGIANS PUT FORWARD
A LIST OF 5 PRODUCTS WHICH THEY WISHED TO SEE ADDED TO THE LIST AND THE IRISH HAD A FURTHER 4, THE IRISH WERE, HOWEVER, WILLING
TO DROP THEIR REQUEST PROVIDED THAT SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE
TO EXCLUDE ROMANIA FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE QUOTAS IN QUESTION.
THE ITALIANS ALSO HAD ONE PRODUCT TO ADD. WE ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN JUSTIFICATIONS IN CASES WHERE MEMBER STATES WISHED TO ADD PRODUCTS OR RESISTED THEIR DELETION FROM THE LIST, BUT RAN UP AGAINST THE GROUP'S TRADITION OF ACCEPTING ALL SUCH REQUESTS BY MEMBER STATES
WITH NO SERIOUS OFFER OF OR CONSIDERATION OF THE EVIDENCE. THE
PHILOSOPHY IS THAT PREFERENCES BEING A GIFT, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO EXPLAIN WHY IT SHOULD BE WITHHELD. THE ECSC LISTS WERE NOT
LOOKED AT SINCE THE FRENCH WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO DO SO, BUT
ARE TO BE TAKEN IN THE AFTERNOON OF 8 OCTOBER.
3. DISCUSSION ON THE TREATMENT OF ROMANIA REVEALED THAT ALL MEMBER STATES WERE IN FAVOUR OF ACCORDING ROMANI TREATMENT GIFFERENT FROM THAT WHICH WOULD BE ACCORDED TO THE OTHER BENEFICI ARIES OF THE SCHEME. THE COMMISSION SAID THEY PROPOSED TO EXCLUDE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, TEXTILES, SHOES AND STEEL PRODUCTS. THE DUTCH SAID THEY WOULD GIVE THE COMMISSION LISTS OF 37 AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS AND 79 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS FOR WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ROMANIA EXCLUDED FROM THE BENEFIT OF GSP. THE COMMISSION
POINTED OUT THE PROBLEMS WHICH MIGHT ARISE IN UNCTAD AND GATT IF AN EXPLICITLY DISCRIMINATORY SOLUTION WAS ADOPTED, THE BELGIANS PROPOSED THAT THE COMMUNITY'S GSP SHOULD HAVE A SEPARATE
''POSITIVE" LIST OF ITEMS ON WHICH THE ROMANIANS WOULD BE
ACCORDED PREFERENCES. IT WAS LEFT THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD PUT
FORWARD PROPOSALS GIVING SEPARATE TREATMENT TO ROMANIA. THE
COMMISSION INDICATED THAT THIS WOULD PROBABLY INVOLVE TWO SEPARATE SENSITIVE LISTS, ONE FOR ALL BENEFICIARIES INCLUDING ROMANIA, AND THE OTHER FOR BENEFICIARIES.
2
RESTRICTED
4. OTHER