THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 113 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas, pending the completion of the procedures necessary for its conclusion, the Agreement between the European Economic Community and Hong Kong on trade in textile products, initialled on 2 October 1986, has been provisionally applied since 1 January 1987 in accordance, for the Community's part, with Decision 88/213/EEC1;

Whereas that Agreement provides for the possibility of quantitative adjustments to the quotas for certain categories, in order to allow the introduction of the combined nomenclature;

Whereas following consultations between the Community and Hong Kong an Agreed Minute modifying the quotas of category 7 and 78 products provided for in the Agreement was initialled on 29 July 1988;

Whereas pending the completion of the procedures necessary for the conclusion of the Agreement and the Agreed Minute, the Agreed Minute should be applied provisionally, with effect from 1 January 1988, provided that there is a reciprocal provisional application on the part of Hong Kong,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: