OAS

30 October 1952 

INCREASE OF IMPORT DUTIES ON PRODUCTS INCLUDED
IN SCHEDULE XXV (GREECE)

Report adopted by the CONTRACTING PARTIES
on 3 November 1952

G/27 - 1S/51

1.The Panel on Complaints investigated, with the assistance of the delegations of the United Kingdom and Greece, the consistency of Decision No. 766 taken by the Greek Cabinet on 10 July 1952 with the obligations of the Greek Government under the General Agreement.

2.When the Greek Government conducted tariff negotiations at Annecy and Torquay within the framework of the General Agreement it agreed to bind the coefficients applied before 1939 for the conversion of metallic drachmae rates of customs duty into paper drachmae notes on items included in Schedule XXV and those coefficients were specified in a note to that Schedule. The Decision of 10 July increased those coefficients on a number of products to levels in excess of those specified in the Greek Schedule. The new levels of these coefficients, as well as the levels at which they were bound in Schedule XXV, are listed in the Annex to this Report.

3.The United Kingdom Government, as well as other contracting parties interested, maintained that this Decision constituted an infringement of the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article II of the General Agreement. The Greek Government agreed that this emergency measure taken in July last was not consistent with its obligations under the General Agreement.

4.The Greek Government indicated that the measure had been taken as an emergency measure to meet acute financial difficulties and undertook to withdraw the Decision and to revert before 1July1953 to the levels bound under the General Agreement. The United Kingdom delegation, as well as the delegations of other contracting parties affected, stated that they recognized that the Greek Government had to encounter serious difficulties and that their Governments would be prepared to consider that the case would be settled to their satisfaction if the coefficients applied to the products described in Schedule XXV were brought down to the agreed levels specified in the Schedule before the date suggested by the Greek delegation.

5.In this connection, the Panel recommends that the CONTRACTING PARTIES take note of the undertaking given on behalf of the Greek Government to remove the measure within the time-limit suggested and to ask that Government to report on the measures taken to implement this undertaking.

6.Accordingly, the Panel submits a draft resolution to the CONTRACTING PARTIES for consideration and approval.1


ANNEX

COMMODITIES INCLUDED IN SCHEDULE XXV AND AFFECTED
BY THE INCREASE IN THE PRE-WAR COEFFICIENTS

Coefficients
Tariff Item Number Contained
in Schedule
Raised to
3 (b)-4 and 5 5 40
45 (e) 15 30
46 (a) and (b) 15 30
177 (a) and (b) 15 30
45 (c)-1, -2, -3 20 30
159 (a)-6, and ex 15 20 30
159 (b)-1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 6 bis 20 30
159 (c)-3, 6, ex 7, 7 bis and 8 20 30
159 (d) ex 1 (nitrate of ammonium and nitrate of potash) 20 30
159 (e)-2 and 7 20 30
159 (f)-10 and 11 20 30
159 (g)-5, 8, 11, ex 12, 13, ex 16 (sulphurous anhydrite liquified and anhydrite of ammonia), 16 bis, ex 19 20 30
167 (g) bis 20 40
177 (d), (e), (f) 20 30
178 (b), 1, 2 20 30
178 (c), (c) bis 20 30
178 (d), 1, 2 and 3 20 30
62 (a), (b), (c) and (d) 22 40
63 (a), -1 and -2 22 40
63 (b), (b) bis 22 40
63 (c) 22 40
48 (b)2 25 30
51 (d) 25 40
51 (f) 1, 2 and 3 25 40
51 (g) 25 40
51 (j) bis 25 40
64 (a) 1 and 2 25 40
64 (c) 25 40
65 (c)-1 and 2 25 40
65 (d) ex 1 25 40
71 (a), 1, 2 and 3 25 40
71 (c)-1, 2 and 3 25 40
75 (a), (b) and (c) 25 40
76 ex (c) 25 40
76 (e)-1, 2 and 3 25 40
76 (f)-1 and 2 25 40
76 (g) 1, 2 and 3 25 40
76 (i) 25 40
77 (e) 25 40
160 (c)-3, 4 and 9 25 40
160 (d)-1, 2, 3, 3 bis and 4 25 40
168 (d) 1, 2 and 3 25 40
168 (f) 2 25 40
171 (a), (b) and (c) 25 30
178 (b) (3) 25 30
34 (a) 30 40
60 (d) 30 40
134 (c)-2 30 40
169 (a) 30 40
18 (a)-1 30 40
134 ex (a), ex (b) 36 40
134 (g)-1, 2, 3 and 4 36 40
160 (c)-7 36 40
176 (b) 36 40


1See page 23 for the resolution as adopted by the CONTRACTING PARTIES.