§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement about the effect that the accession of Portugal, Spain and Greece to the European Economic Community will have on the United Kingdom textile industry.
§ Mr. Parkinson,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15 June 1979; Vol. 968, c. 363], gave the following information:
The accession of Portugal, Spain and Greece to the EEC will ultimately mean that trade with these countries is conducted on the same basis as it is between the existing EEC member States. The effect on the United Kingdom textile industry will depend on the use it makes of the new export opportunities on the markets of the acceding countries, and on its ability to meet the competitive challenge of imports from them. It is intended that the accession treaties will include a reciprocal safeguard clause which would allow the Commission to authorise action against disruptive imports during the transitional periods.