The foreign affairs ministers of the nine members of the European Economic Community announced here yesterday they will propose the reduction of customs tariffs for all Israeli industrial exports to the EEC, beginning Jan. 1, 1974. These reductions will continue on a progressive basis so that by July 1, 1977. Israel will pay no more tariffs and by Jan. 1, 1980, will have no more quotas fixed on the amount of industrial goods she can export.
(In Jerusalem, the director of the Israel Foreign Ministry’s Economic Department, Ephraim Haran, today said that Israel would prefer, however, a longer interval during which to establish reciprocal trade relations with the Common Market.)
The EEC foreign ministers announced that tariff negotiations between the EEC and Israel will begin July 11. The EEC will then propose an agreement on a free trade area for an unlimited period, a 60 percent tariff reduction for citrus fruits and their derivatives and a 30 to 60 percent tariff reduction for other agricultural products such as avocados, melons, strawberries, carrots and celery.
The EEC will propose that the agreement should not be limited to commercial exchanges, but include clauses on economic and industrial cooperation.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
