asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether such tariffs as the Package Tariff (Tariff Ref. 166) and the Bottle Tariff (Tariff Ref. 32) are permitted under the conditions of the Rome Treaty; and whether his Department have considered what the effect of possible membership of the EEC would be on such tariffs and, thereby, on packaging and bottling work carried out in this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Package and Bottle Tariffs.
44.
The Rome Treaty provides for the progressive elimination, between member states, of all customs duties. Membership of the European Economic Community would therefore entail the removal of the package and bottle tariffs. The effect which membership of the EEC would have on packaging and bottling in this country will depend, as in the case of industries generally, on the extent to which any necessary adaptations are made to meet conditions of more intensive competition.