Reduction of customs tariffs
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 18th Sitting, on 19th October, 1955 (see Doc. 408, draft Recommendation of the Committee on Economic Questions).
The Assembly,
1. Taking note of the fact that the Trade Agreements Extension Act signed by the President of the United States on 21st June, 1955 authorizes the Executive to reduce American customs tariffs by 15 % over a period of three years and to reduce to 50 % ad valorem rates which are at present above that level;
2. Considering that the Governments of a large number of Member States of the Council of Europe have of recent years made it clear that they could only envisage a further reduction in their customs tariffs if the United States were to do the same;
3. Considering, moreover, that within the O.E.E.C. a certain number of member countries of that organisation have announced that they would be unable to pursue their policy with regard to the removal of quantitative restrictions so long as a further effort were not made in relation to customs tariffs,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the Member States :
a to make the maximum use of the possibilities offered by a general Tariff Conference within the framework of G. A. T. T., in order to bring aboul effective reductions in the incidence of their tariffs on intra-European trade;
b to conduct their negotiations on the basis of the methods set out in the Plan for a Low Tariff Club and in the GATT Plan for reducing the inequalities between tariffs in Europe;
c to consider an approach to G. A.T.T., with a view to negotiating the setting up of a free trade zone within which, by systematic annual reductions of, for example, 10 % or even 5 %, in customs tariffs among Member States of the Council of Europe, it would be possible gradually to bring about a European customs union.
