AGREEMENT for the conclusion of negotiations between the European Community and the Kingdom of Thailand under Article XXIV:6

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND,

DESIRING to bring their GATT Article XXIV:6 negotiations to conclusion on the basis of a reasonable and mutually satisfactory compromise, and

FURTHER DESIRING to strengthen the close partnership in commercial and economic matters between the European Community and Thailand,

AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS:

A. The European Community shall incorporate in its new Schedule CLX, for the customs territory of the EUR 15, the concessions that were included in the previous Schedule LXXX as modified by the European Community Schedule annexed to the Marrakesh Protocol to the General Agreement, 1994 (dated 15 April 1994).

B. To settle the current GATT Article XXIV:6 negotiations on agriculture the following has been agreed:

- Bound tariff rate quota 63 000 tonnes of semi-milled and wholly milled rice

1006 30 00 at zero duty (erga omnes) with effect from 1 January 1996,

- Bound tariff rate quota 20 000 tonnes of husked (brown) rice

1006 20 55 at ECU 88/T (erga omnes) with effect from 1 January 1996.

The Kingdom of Thailand accepts the basic components of the European Community's approach to adjusting the obligations of the European Community of 12 and those of Austria, Finland and Sweden following the recent enlargement of the Community:

- netting out of export commitments,

- netting out of tariff quotas,

- aggregation of domestic support commitments.

The appropriate legal modalities of implementation remain to be agreed.

C. Final provisions

This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of signature.

Consultations will be held with regard to the matters in this Agreement at any time at the request of either party.

Signed at Brussels this twenty-second day of December in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five.

For the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand

On behalf of the Council of the European Union

Technical Annex

The basis of the understandings arrived at are listed below:

- Milled or semi-milled rice (1006 30 00)TRQ 63 000 tonnes (Thailand 19 505 tonnes + 10 %)- Husked rice (1006 20 55)TRQ 20 000 tonnes (Thailand 1 647 tonnes + 10 %).

To the extent that the Kingdom of Thailand is a beneficiary under each of the TRQs above, the European Community import licences will be issued automatically within the agreed limits on the basis of export certificates issued by the Government of Thailand.