Multi-fibre Arrangement (Hansard, 31 October 1990)

§ 92. Mr. Madden
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the future of the multi-fibre arrangement.
611W

§ 93. Mr. Beith
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement about the future of the multi-fibre arrangement.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
The latest extension of the multi-fibre arrangement expires next year. The EC and the United Kingdom are committed in the current Uruguay round of GATT negotiations to phasing it out over a subsequent transitional period on the basis of strengthened GATT rules and disciplines.
The textiles negotiating group is meeting almost continuously in Geneva with a view to producing a draft text of an agreement on the integration into GATT of trade in textiles and clothing. Subjects being discussed include the length of the transitional period between the expiry of MFA IV and full liberalisation, the process by which the various categories of products are to be liberalised, the nature of the transitional safeguard mechanism and the link between the phasing out of the MFA and progress in other parts of the negotiations.
Negotiations on how this should be done are due to be completed in Brussels in December.