§ Mr. Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Trade what infraction proceedings the European Commission has taken against France over its requirements for certificate of origin documentation for infra-Community trade in certain textile goods; and if he will make a 353W statement on what other proceedings and actions the Commission is taking against the member States which infringe the rules of the Treaty of Rome and the general agreement on tariffs and trade, regarding trade in textiles and clothing products.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI now understand that the infraction proceedings referred to in the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 30 January related to French arrangements concerning origin labelling, and did not extend to origin certification. The position on the latter has now been further clarified by Commission decision 80/47/EEC of 20 December 1979, which defines more closely the circumstances in which an origin certificate may be required in intra-Community trade, but which is not yet in force.
DISHWASHERS IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM 1979 First three quarters of 1979 Source Number imported Number imported Imports as a percentage of total sales in United Kingdom West Germany 50,762 33,623 51.1 Italy 49,027 26,531 40.3 France 6,945 5,004 7.6 Sweden 2,965 1,492 2.3 Netherlands 387 333 0.5 Belgium-Luxembourg 192 192 0.3 The total of the percentages in column 3 exceeds 100 per cent. because some imported machines were re-exported.