HC Deb 21 June 1988 vol 135 c488W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster why the Council of Ministers was unable to agree quota reductions, and whether steel may now be freely traded without price restriction within the European Economic Community.

Mr. Atkins

The future of the quota system is to be discussed at the Council of Industry Ministers on 24 June. In the absence of adequate commitments from industry to reduce excess capacity by the amounts agreed at the 22 December Council, quotas should end on 30 June. Pricing practices for ECSC steel producers are governed by article 60 of the Treaty of Paris, which prohibits unfair competitive practices and discriminatory pricing arrangements.

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