EC/Turkey: negotiation and conclusion of an agreement on the Customs Union

OBJECTIVE: implementation of the final stage of the Customs Union with Turkey. SUBSTANCE: on 6 March 1995, the EC-Turkey Association Council gave its agreement in principle on the decision implementing the final phase of the Customs Union with Turkey. The European Parliament was now requested to give its assent to this draft decision, which took the form of a common position of the Community within the EC-Turkey Association Council. The main characteristics of this agreement were as follows: - the establishment of 1 January 1996 as the date for the definitive completion of the Customs Union including all the relevant technical aspects: . the free movement of goods and the elimination of customs duties and taxes with equivalent effect after this date and quantitative restrictions on the import and export of goods by both parties; gradual transposition by Turkey of Community legislation on the abolition of technical barriers to trade and on product conformity with EC legislation requirements; . commercial policy: implementation of measures that were substantially similar to those of the Community's commercial policy; . extension of the CCT to include Turkey and granting of tariff preferences (except for certain products agreed by the Association Council up to 1 January 2001); . temporary derogation for the dismantling of tariffs for certain processed agricultural products listed in Annex I to the Decision; - protection of intellectual, industrial and commercial property (implementation of the TRIPS agreement no later than three years after the entry into force of the Customs Union); - respect for the competition principles that characterised the Community, together with the gradual harmonisation of Turkish legislation in this area with the acquis communautaire; - fixing of the earliest date possible after the entry into force of the Customs Union for the opening up of the parties' respective government procurement markets. The decision also included: . institutional provisions (establishment of a EC-Turkey Customs Union Joint Committee to ensure the proper functioning of the agreement), . provisions relating to the settlement of disputes, . a safeguard clause. �