11951K/CDT/P27

Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community - Convention on the Transitional Provisions - Part Three - General safeguards - Chapter 2 - Special provisions for coal - Italy - Article 27

1. The Sulcis mines shall be entitled to equalization payments under Article 25 to enable them to meet competition in the common market pendingcompletion of the plant installation operations now in progress; the Commission shall periodically determine the amount of aid required, but outside aid may not be continued for more than two years.

2. In view of the special position of the Italian coking plants, the Commission is empowered to authorize the Italian Government to continue, to the necessary extent during the transitional period defined in Article 1 of this Convention, to charge customs duties on coke from other Member States; however, in the first year of the transitional period these may not exceed the rates of duty under Presidential Decree No 442 of 7 July 1950, this ceiling being reduced by 10% in the second year, 25% in the third, 45% in the fourth and 70% in the fifth, and the duties being abolished altogether at the end of the transitional period.