EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
TEXTILES COMMITTEE
Geneva, 5 July 1977...
NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE M.F.A.
MAIN POINTS OF THE DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
I. FACTS
1. The economic trend in the textile sector
The economic situation of the EEC has undergone a profound change
since the conclusion of the MFA in 1973.
- Textile consumption increased by only 1% in the first three years
of application of the MFA; in certain Member States, in fact, a
drop in textile purchases was recorded.
Imports of textiles into the EEC, expressed in terms of tonnage,
increased by 80% between 1973 and 1976; in 1976 they amounted to $9,300 million. 72% of the growth in world imports was accounted
for by imports into the EEC between 1973 and 1975.
The trend of the external trade balance has been as follows:
$1000
Tonnage
1973
956,000
1974
+
699,000
163,000
1975
401,000
383,000
1976
-
1,283,000
570,000
2. Some consequences of this trend
Production is still below the 1973 level despite a temporary recovery
in 1976; the latest information available suggests a further fall in
production; stocks are rising and orders declining.
- Three thousand five hundred factories closed between 1973 and 1976;
half a million jobs have been lost (15% of the existing job total).
The effects have been felt mainly in the disadvantaged areas of the
EEC where no alternative work is available.
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