General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

Thirty-one of the 35 contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) attended meetings of the inter-sessional committee of GATT from April 24 to 28, 1957 to discuss among other matters the procedure to be followed for considering the European Common Market Treaty and to examine a complaint from the government of Denmark concerning exports of subsidized eggs from the United Kingdom. In regard to the first of these matters, it was reported that the committee reached no decision on whether it would be better to call a special session of the contracting parties, as suggested by the delegate from Japan, or whether it should be considered at the regular session to be held in October. It was decided to draw up a program of preparatory work, to extend over several months, including consultations with the interim committee appointed by the signatories of the treaty. The work would be supervised by the GATT Secretariat, and the inter-sessional committee would meet at an appropriate date to arrange for definitive discussions on whether the articles of the treaty conformed with the requirements of GATT. It was reported that in the course of the discussion Japan voiced a complaint against the fact that overseas territories of the Common Market nations would be associated with the Common Market on a privileged economic status.