Report | Doc. 150 | 12 May 1953

Inclusion by Member States of G.A.T.T. of the question of a "Low Tariff Club" in the Agenda of their forthcoming Conference

Committee on Economic Affairs and Development

Rapporteur : Mr Roger MOTZ, Belgium

A. Draft Résolution

Your Committee unanimously proposes that the Assembly should adopt the following draft Resolution and draft Order.

The Assembly,

Having taken note of the Memorandum for the Council of Europe by a group of experts from G. A. T. T., on the technical im plications of Recommendation 11, adopted on 6th December, 1951;

Convinced of the need of a common policy by Member States to lower tariff barriers,

1. Shares the opinion of the Committee of Ministers as to the advisability of further consultation on the substance of the project for the lowering of tariff barriers, since such consultation would be the logical outcome of the preliminary technical work carried out by the group of customs experts of G. A. T. T.;

2. Notes that the Committee of Ministers, in order to avoid duplication and to obtain the views of t h e most qualified technical authorities, has followed the practice of seeking t h e opinion of thé appropriate international organisations on the major economic questions and t h a t , with regard to customs questions in particular, the Contracting Parties to G. A. T. T. have drawn the attention of the Council of Europe to t h e fact t h a t t h e y are, in t h e nature of things, competent to deal with t h e substance of any project bearing upon the customs tariffs of the Governments which are parties to the General Agreement;

3. Instructs its President to approach the Committee of Ministers with a view to requesting the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement to include in the Agenda for their next Annual Conference a study of t h e substance of the project for the creation of a Low Tariff Club.

B. Draft Order

The Assembly

Instructs the Secretariat-General to undertake, with the assistance of G. A. T. T. and the Council of Customs Co-operation, a preliminary survey of the possible effects of the creation of a Low Tariff Club on employment and productivity.