§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries seeking EU membership which will have to raise their external tariffs to qualify for membership. [103388]
§ Mr. VazOn accession to the EU, candidate countries will have to apply the same external tariff as the EC. In general, candidate countries currently have agricultural tariffs which are lower than those of the EU while their industrial tariffs are often higher. The Commission is presently studying the detailed implications including the potential impact on other WTO members and the Union's obligations under Article XXIV of GATT.