On 13 November 1962, at Brussels, the six Member States of the European Economic Community signed the Convention revising the Treaty of Rome in order to make applicable to the Netherlands Antilles the special association regime in Part Four. One original, in German, French, Italian and Dutch, deposited with the Italian Government. It is not the Yaoundé Convention of 1963 and not the supplementary act by which Suriname was associated on 1 September 1962.

The preamble recalls the declaration of intention annexed to the Final Act of the intergovernmental conference of 25 March 1957 and the Council’s favourable opinion of 22 October 1962, after consultation of the Assembly and the Commission. The revision follows article 236 of the Treaty. The plenipotentiaries were Henri Fayat, Rolf Lahr, Jean-Marc Boegner, Carlo Russo, Eugène Schaus, H. R. van Houten and W. F. M. Lampe, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles.

Article 1: the Netherlands Antilles shall be inscribed on the list in Annex IV to the Treaty; the Protocol relating to goods originating in and coming from certain countries and enjoying special treatment on importation into one of the Member States shall cease to apply to that country; the treatment resulting, on the date of entry into force, for the other associated overseas countries and territories shall become applicable to the Netherlands Antilles. Article 2 annexes the Protocol concerning imports into the EEC of petroleum products refined in the Netherlands Antilles. Article 3: ratification, instruments deposited with Italy; entry into force on the first day of the month following deposit of the last instrument, or, if that deposit is made less than fifteen days before the beginning of the following month, on the first day of the second month. Italy deposited on 14 September 1964; entry into force: 1 October 1964. Article 4: deposit in Rome, certified copies to the other governments.

The Protocol, articles 1–2: headings 27.10–27.14 of the Brussels Nomenclature, imported for consumption; tariff advantages resulting from association, regardless of the origin rules applied by the Member States. Article 3: the Commission may introduce, increase or reintroduce customs duties if imports cause real difficulties; in any event when they reach two million tons a year; the Council may modify or cancel by qualified majority. Article 4: national emergency measures, notified to the Commission; annex — Germany 625,000 t, Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union 200,000 t, France 75,000 t, Italy 100,000 t, the Netherlands 1,000,000 t. Article 6: when a common policy is adopted, equivalent advantages of not less than two and one-half million tons.

The Final Act records the Netherlands draft of 4 June 1962, the Assembly opinion of 19 October, the Commission opinion of 10 September and the Council opinion of 22 October. Two declarations: the trade regime with the associated overseas States shall be defined in agreement with those States; when the definitive treatment of petroleum products is determined, equivalent treatment for the other associated overseas countries and territories shall be taken into account. The 2010 dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles is not treated here.

Egmont Palace, Brussels. A diplomatic palace in the city of signature, not the confirmed conference hall. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

For context: Convention on the association of the Netherlands Antilles with the European Economic Community. The text: GATT L/2342, Convention of 13 November 1962.