ACP States: agricultural products and goods resulting from the processing of these products

OBJECTIVE: to implement new trade arrangements applicable to agricultural products and certain goods originating in the ACP countries following the mid-term review of the fourth Lomé Convention. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation (EC) no. 1706/98 on the arrangements applicable to agricultural products and goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products originating in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP states) and repealing Regulation (EEC) no. 715/90. CONTENTS: As part of the mid-term revision of the 4th Lomé Convention, the present Regulation introduces new commercial arrangements applicable to agricultural products and to certain goods resulting from the processing of agricultural products originating in the ACP states, for which provision is made in the revised Lomé Convention. The new arrangements include commercial provisions covering new concessions; they represent a considerable improvement to the development of trade as part of ACP-EC cooperation. The new concessions applicable to agricultural imports from the ACP countries take the form of: - exemption from customs duties for certain products, - a reduction in the specific rates of customs duties for other products and/or - an increase in the quotas previously granted to the ACP states. The new arrangements also extend the list of products eligible for a reduction in customs duties and take account of the new combined nomenclature in the agricultural sector following the 1995 GATT multilateral trade negotiations. The main products affected by these concessions are beef and veal, sheepmeat and goatmeat, poultry, milk products, eggs, pigmeat, certain fisheries products, fats, cereals and rice. This Regulation repeals Council Regulation (EEC) no. 715/90 which applied the earlier trade arrangements. ENTRY INTO FORCE: 2 August 1998. The Regulation will be applicable with retroactive effect from 1 January 1996.�