TNAG-0386-FCO40-432-Exports-of-non-cotton-textiles-from-Hong-Kong-to-the-EEC-1973 — Page 158

PRICSITY-

RESTRICTED

CYPHER CAT A

EM UKREP BRUSSELS 3122A9Z

the thacaso

مقبولون

WESTRICTED

на

المقدسة

FRAME

73

PA 2

Zala

21

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO. 541 OF 1 FEBRUARY INFO PRIORITY BONN

COPENHAGEN DUBLIN THE HAGUE LUXEMBOURG PARIS ROME UKMIS GENEVA

INFO SAVING BRUSSELS (FOR DODGE HONG KONG OFFICE).

NON COTTON TEXTILES,

1. THE TEXTILES GROUP MET ON 30 JANUARY UNDER COMMISSION

CHAIRMANSHIP (PAOLI) TO DISCUSS DETAILS OF IMPORT RESTRICTIONS ON NON-COTTON TEXTILES (EXCLUDING RESTRICTIONS ON THE EASTERN AREA)

AND THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSED LIST, DATED 19 SEPTEMBER 1972, OF

SENSITIVE PRODUCTS FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. THE UK WAS

REPRESENTED BY POWNALL (DTI) AND DE FONBLANQUE (UKREP). THE MEETING

WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, A ROUND-UP OF RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY

OPERATED BY INDIVIDUAL MEMBER STATES AND THE CONSIDERATION OF A

COMMON SENSITIVE LIST. LITTLE SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS WAS ACHIEVED

THOUGH SOME INTERESTING INDICATIONS OF NATIONAL POSITIONS (NOTABLY

THE FRENCH) EMERGED.

2. DISCUSSION OF CURRENT RESTRICTIONS WAS BASED ON A 1971

COMMISSION PAPER SUMMARISING THE DEGREE OF LIBERALISATION OF

NON-COTTON TEXTILE IMPORTS THEN ACHIEVED BY THE SIX. AT THE

COMMISSION'S REQUEST WE UNDERTOOK TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON UK

IMPORT RESTRICTIONS FOLLOWING THE FORMAT OF THE PAPER, ALTHOUGH IT WAS ACCEPTED THAT WE COULD NOT DO SO ON THE BASIS OF THE

NIMEXE STATISTICAL CLASSIFICATION, POWNALL EXPLAINED THE SCOPE

OF JAPANESE VOLUNTARY RESTRAINT OF THEIR TEXTILE EXPORTS TO THE UK

AND THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH HAD BEEN PUT INTO EFFECT FOR POLYESTER/

COTTONS FROM HONG KONG, S. KOREA AND TAIWAN, WE AGREED TO SUPPLY TO THE COMMISSION A LIST OF THE PRODUCTS COVERED (USING THE

BRUSSELS NOMENCLATURE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE), QUOTA LEVELS AND

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS. WE INDICATED THAT WE COULD NOT

SUPPLY THE ACTUAL TEXTS OF AGREEMENTS COVERING ALL THE RESTRAINTS.

DENMARK SIMILARLY UNDERTOOK TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF HER AGREEMENTS,

IRELAND HAD NO BILATERALS, ALL IMPORT RESTRICTIONS HAVING BEEN

IMPOSED UNBILATERALLY BY PUBLISHED NOTICES ISSUED BY THE REVENUE

COMMISSIONERS.

GERMANY EXPLAINED THAT WHILE A WIDE RANGE OF TEXTILES FROM A LONG

LIST OF COUNTRIES WERE SUBJECT OF SPECIFIC LICENCING, LICENCES WERE IN MOST CASES FREELY ISSUED. MAINTAINED ON A LIMITED NUMBER OF

TAIWAN, INDIA, PAKISTAN AND UAR.

COMMISSION. THE FRENCH SAID THAT THEIR AUTHORITIES MAINTAINED/A SERIES

INDIVIDUAL RESTRICTIONS WERE

ITEMS FROM JAPAN, S. KOREA,

DETAILS WOULD BE SENT TO THE

RESTRICTED