RESTRICTED
(111) THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS ON FLAX PRODUCTS DO NOT
ADEQUATELY REFLECT THE SENSITIVITY OF THESE PRODUCTS IN THE UK,
WHERE PRODUCTION IS CONCENTRATED IN NORTHERN IRELAND. TRANSITION
FROM EXISTING BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE EASTERN EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES TO AN MFA-TYPE REGIME WOULD IN ANY CASE CAUSE
DIFFICULTIES TO THE COMMUNITY'S INDUSTRY. IN PRINCIPLE, WE WANT
EXISTING QUOTA COVERAGE TO CONTINUE WITH GROWTH RATES OF NO MORE
THAN 3 PERCENT. THE TREATMENT OF LINEN WILL BE AN IMPORTANT
FACTOR IN OUR CONSIDERATION OF THE EASTERN EUROPEAN AGREEMENTS
AS A WHOLE.
(IV) WE HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE TEXTS OF THE AGREEMENTS
WHICH THE COMMISSION IS PROPOSING TO INITIAL WITH CERTAIN COUNTRIES.
IT WILL NOT HELP THE COUNCIL'S OVERALL CONSIDERATION OF THE FINAL
PACKAGE PRESENTED TO IT IN DECEMBER IF AGREEMENTS ARE UNITIALLED
WHICH DO NOT MEET THE EXPRESSED VIEWS OF MEMBER STATES,
(V) WE DO NOT AGREE WITH THE IDEA THAT 1973 LEVELS (WITH A GROWTH RATE OF 6 PERCENT PER ANNUM COMPOUND) SHOULD BE THE BASIS FOR
UNILATERAL MEASURES WHICH MIGHT BE TAKEN BY THE COMMUNITY. IT SEEMS
CLEAR TO US THAT 1976 IMPORTS ARE THE RIGHT REFERENCE POINT FOR
SUCH MEASURES.
3. WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE FOLLOWING POINTS: (1) WE WISH TO REAFFIRM THAT WHERE A PRODUCT IS UNDER QUOTA,
THIS QUOTA SHOULD IN PRINCIPLE CONTINUE, ALTHOUGH SUCH RESTRAINTS
SHOULD IN GENERAL BE ON A COMMUNITY-WIDE BASIS, THERE WILL BE CASES
WHERE A RESTRAINT IN RESPECT OF ONLY ONE REGION OF THE COMMUNITY
IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THAT REGION.
11) WE ARE SURPRISED THAT THE ORIGIN COMMITTEE HAS CONTINUED TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS OF THE ORIGIN RULES FOR TEXTILES.
THE 113 COMMITTEE AGREED UNANIMOUSLY ON 28 OCTOBER THAT NO FURTHER
CHANGES SHOULD BE SOUGHT FOR THE TIME BEING.
(111) THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS ON LICENSING IMPORTS IN THE
FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 1973 ARE STILL UNCLEAR. IN PARTICULAR
WE THINK THERE SHOULD BE A LIMIT TO THE PROPORTION OF THE QUOTA
WHICH CAN BE LICENSED DURING THAT TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. IT ALSO
NEEDS TO BE CLEAR THAT AT THE END OF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, THE SUPPLYING COUNTRY WILL ACCEPT THE COMMUNITY'S FIGURES ON
THE AMOUNT OF QUOTA ALREADY USED.
PACKGROUND: PARA 2 (11)
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