United Nations Nations Unies œNFERENCE CONFERENCE ON

United Nations
œNFERENCE
ON
TRADE AND EMPLOYMENT
Nations Unies
CONFERENCE
DU
COMMERCE ET DE L'EMPLOI
UNRESTRICTED
E/C0NF.2/C.8/23
17v March 19A0. .
CBIGINAL: ENGLISH
CENTRAL DRAFTING COMMITTEE
PROPOSED REDRAFT OF FINAL TEXT OF ARTICLES k2,
k2A AND k2B
Article ^-2
Territorial Application of Chapter IV
1.
The provisions of Chapter IV shall apply to the metropolitan customs
territories of the Members and to any other oustoms -territories in respect of
which this Charter has "been accepted /pursuant to/ in accordance with the
provisions of Article 99- Each such customs territory shall, exclusively for
the purposes of the territorial application of Chapter IV, be treated as
though it were a Member; Provided that the provisions of this paragraph shall
not be construed to create any rights or oblics^ons as between two or more
customs territories in respect of which this Charter has been accepted by
a single Member.
2.
For the purposes of this Chapter a customs territory shall be understood
to mean any territory with respect to which separate tariffs or other
regulations of commerce are maintained for a substantial part of the trade of
such territory with other territories.
Article U2A
Frontier Traffic
The provisions of this Chapter shall not be construed to prevent:
(a) advantages accorded by any Member to adjacent countries in
order to facilitate frontier traffic; JôrJ
(b) advantages accorded to the trade with the Free Territory of Trieste
by countries contiguous to that territory, provided that such
advantages are not in conflict with the Treaties of Peace jTj
arising out of the Second World Uar.
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V . .'.
Article *<-2B
CustomB Unions and Free-Trade Areas
1.
Members recognize the desirability .„of increasing freedom of trade by the
development, through voluntary agreements^ of closer integration between
the economies of ^participants/ the countries parties to such açreements.
They also recognize that the purpose of a customs union or [If
a/ free-
trade area should be to-facilitate trade between the parties ^to it7 and
not to raise ^obstaclea7 barriers to the trade of other Member/s/ countries
with such parties»
2.
:"
Accordingly, the provisions of this Chapter shall not ^therefore be cons-
trued, to/ prevent^ as between the territories of Members^ the formation of
a 'customs, union or fthe
establishment of7 a free-trade area or the adoption
of art interim agreement necessary for the formation of a customs union or
/a/ free-trade area; Provided [Jj
that:
I
•
I
•
E/C0HF.2/C.8/23
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(a) with respect to a customs union, or an interim agreement
leading to t h e / e s t a b l i s h m e n t / formation of a custons union, the
d u t i e s and other regulations of commerce imposed at t h e i n s t i t u t i o n of any such union or interim agreement in respect of trade
with Momber/s of the Organisation/ countries not p a r t i e s t o such
union or agreement shall not on the whole be higher or more r e s t r i c t i v e than the general incidence of the d u t i e s and regulations
of commerce applicable in t h e constituent t e r r i t o r i e s p r i o r to
the formation of such union or the adoption of such interim
agreement, as the case may bej
(b) with respect t o a f r e e - t r a d e area, or an interim agreement
leading to the / e s t a b l i s h m e n t / formation of a free-trade area,
the d u t i e s and other regulations of commerce maintained in each
of the constituent t e r r i t o r i e s and applicable at the / e s t a b l i s h m e n t /
formation of such free-trade area/77 or the adoption of such
interim agreement/]/ t o the t r a d e of Member/s7 countries not
/ p a r t i c i p a t i n g in the arrangement/ included in such area or p a r t i e s
to such agreement shall not be higher or more r e s t r i c t i v e than the
c o r r e s p o n d i n g / t a r i f f 5 / d u t i e s and other regulations of commerce
e x i s t i n g in the same constituent t e r r i t o r / y / i e s p r i o r t o the
/ e s t a b l i s h m e n t / formation of the f r e e - t r a d e a r e a , or interim
agreement, as the case may bej and
(c) any interim agreement referred t o in sub-paragraphs (a) and
(b) /above/ s h a l l include a plan and schedule for the attainment
of such a customs union or / t h e establishment of/ such a free-trade
' area within a reasonable length of time.
3,
(a) Any Member deciding t o enter i n t o a customs union or / a /
f r e e - t r a d e area, or an interim agreement leading t o the formation
E/COHF.2/C8/23
Page k
of such a-union or /freé-tradç/ area, shall promptly notify the
Organization and shall make-, available .to- it such information
regarding the proposed union or /free
trade/ area as vd.ll enable
the "Organization to make such reports and recommendations to
Members as it may deem appropriâte-,
' .
(b) If, after having studied the plan/s7 and schedule/s7 provided
for in an interim agreement /under/ referred to-in paragraph 2/77
in consultation with the parties to that agreement and taking due
account of the information made available in accordance.with the
/terms/ provisions of sub-paragraph (a), the Organization finds that
such agreement is not likely to result in a customs union or /in
the e stablishment of/ a free-trade area within the period contem' plated by the parties to the agreement or that such period is *
not a reasonable one, the Organization shall make recommendations
to the parties to the agreement, /iff
The parties /are not pre-
pared to modifjr the agreement in accordance with ouch recommendations they/ shall not maintain or put into force, as the case may
be., /it in force or institute/ such agreement if /It has not yet
been concluded^/ they .are not prepared to modify it in accordance
with tho se r ecommendat ion s.
(c) Any substantial change, in the plan or schedule referred to in
paragraph 2(c) shall be /notified/ communicated to the Organization^
.' which.may request the Members concerned to consult with it if the
change seems likely to jeopardize or delay unduly the /achievement/
formation of the customs union or /the/ free-trade area,
4.
For the purposes of this Charter:
(a) A customs union shall be understood to mean the substitution
of a single customs territory for two or more customs territories
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so t h a t
( i ) t a r i f f s / d u t i e s and other r e s t r i c t i v e regulations of
commerce (except, where necessary, those permitted under
Section B of Chapter IV and under Article 43) are eliminated/on/ with respect t o s u b s t a n t i a l l y a l l the trade
between the constituent t e r r i t o r i e s of the union or a t
l e a s t / o n / with respect to s u b s t a n t i a l l y a l l the trade
in products originating in such t e r r i t o r i e s ^ , and,
( i i ) subject to the provisions of paragraph 5. s u b s t a n t i a l l y
the same / t a r i f f s / duties and other regulations of commerce are applied by each of the members of the union
to the t r a d e of t e r r i t o r i e s not included in the union
/subject to the provisions of paragraph j j / ;
(b) A free-trade area s h a l l be understood t o mean a group of two
or more customs t e r r i t o r i e s in which the / t a r i f f s 7 d u t i e s and
other r e s t r i c t i v e regulations of commerce (except, where necessary,
those permitted under Section B of Chapter IV and under A r t i c l e 43)
between such t e r r i t o r i e s are eliminated on s u b s t a n t i a l l y a l l t h e
trade in products o r i g i n a t i n g in the constituent t e r r i t o r i e s / o f
the f r e e - t r a d e ^ e a / .
5.
The preferences referred t o in paragraph 2 of A r t i c l e 16 s h a l l not
be affected by the / c o n s t i t u t i o n / formation of a customs union or a
f r e e - t r a d e area but may be eliminated or adjusted by means of negotiat i o n s with Members affected.
This procedure of n e g o t i a t i o n s with af-
fected Members shall A in p a r t i c u l a r ^ apply t o the elimination of p r e ferences required t o conform with the provisions of / s u b ^ / paragraph/s/
4 ( a ) ( i ) and paragraph 4(b) /of paragraph
6.
û/t
The Organization mayA. by a two-thirds majority of the Members present
E/C0KF.2/C.8/23
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and voting^'approve proposals which do not fully conply with t h e r e quirements of the preceding paragraphs, provided that / t h e y / such propo sal s lead to the /establishment/ formation of a customs union or a
free-trade area / i n the sense/ within the reanina; of t h i s A r t i c l e .
I n t e r p r e t a t i v e Mote
ad Paragraph 5 of A r t i c l e /+2B
I t i s understood t h a t the provisions of A r t i c l e 16 would require .
t h a t , when a product which has been imported into the t e r r i t o r y of a
member of a customs union or free-trade ar^a at a p r e f e r e n t i a l r a t e of
duty /and/
i s re-exported to the t e r r i t o r y of another member of such
union or area, the l a t t e r member should c o l l e c t a duty equal to the difference between the duty already paid and the most-favoured-nation r a t e .