Brussels, 09/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Wednesday, the European Commission and Croatia initialled an agreement aimed at liberalising trade in textiles from 1 January 2001. The quantitative restrictions that the Union maintains on the import of Croatian textiles and clothing will also gradually disappear, whereas the European industry will, in the long-term, benefit from easier and more open access to the Croatian market.
This agreement is an "early and concrete materialisation" of the decision the Council took in September to promote the stabilisation process in the region through trade liberalisation. "It is an important step in promoting closer trade and economic relations with Croatia, whose textiles and clothing exports to the EU represent a quarter of total exports of Croatia to the EU", a Commission spokesperson stresses. The European industry may, for its part, expect "significant benefits". The agreement comprises undertakings by Zagreb: i) not to increase current customs duties applied to European textiles; ii) to dismantle these duties, in the framework of the future stabilisation and association agreement (that still needs negotiating) at an equal rate as the one to be agreed for other industrial products; iii) align its regulations and technical standards on those of the Union, especially certification and labelling requirements; iv) not to introduce nor maintain non-tariff barriers in the sector (reciprocity being guaranteed by the EU). To prevent circumvention and guarantee the Croatian origin of goods, a system of dual control, involving licences, is planned for the eleven of the most sensitive textile products for the Union; cotton yarn, woven cotton and synthetic fabrics, pullovers, blouses, shirts, trousers, terry towelling, woven overcoats, suits, etc..
The Commission will proceed without delay to submit to the Council a proposal for the provisional application of the agreement beginning on 1 January 2001, without waiting for ratification.