Journal of European Integration History – Revue d'histoire de l'

Industrial Interest in West Germany´s Decision 53Norwegian metal production would rise dramatically proved to be correct 11 . Allthese questions need to be seen in relation to the expected development of productionand demand within the EEC as well as in relation to the competitive strugglesbetween metal processing industries across Europe. Thus high tariffs as protectivemeasures for the German metal producing industries were seen as dangerous forthe processing industries which had to compete with their counterparts in Britainthat profited from the absence of tariffs on non-ferrous metals. The essential outcomeof the import statistics is that imports did not increase very dramaticallyabove the 1953-58 trend line neither from the EEC nor from EFTA. The fact thatwithin the EEC decisions on a good number of tariff positions in the field of nonferrousmetals were not finalised before the accession negotiations broke down, leftprotective measures unchanged. There has to be, however, a cautionary note on thestatistics. Given that the statistics indicate values and that important price fluctuationsoccurred during the period looked at here, low values of imports in 1961 andthe following year do not indicate that the volume of imports actually declined andthat therefore import pressures on the German industry diminished. Given thatworld prices did not only decline sharply in 1961, but that at the same time theDMark also was revalued, lower import values at that point might still have coincidedwith marked increases in volume.Non-ferrous Metal Products – ExportsThe EEC and EFTA are of very similar importance in terms of levels of exportsthroughout the period concerned. There were no losses for EFTA as a whole, whileexports to the EEC as a whole were below the trend line between 1957 and 1960.Exports to EFTA were consistently above the trend after mid 1959. Exports to themain markets in the EEC, the Benelux countries, were below the trend between1957 and 1964, while those to Italy and France were consistently above the trendline from mid-1959 and rose relatively sharply, yet from a much lower level thanthose to Benelux.Exports to Switzerland, the most important export market among the Seven,were markedly above the trend from 1960 onward. For Britain and Denmark thiswas true already from mid-1959, but from a very much lower level. In the moreimportant market, Sweden, the figures were below the trend for much of the secondpart of the period, while they were above the trend line for exports to Austria. Overallno really important deviation from the trend line occurred except for exports tothe EEC in 1964.The fact that German exports of non-ferrous metal products to Britain and Switzerlandincreased well above the 1953-58 trend however, is an indication that thefears of losing out against the British were largely unfounded. Increased British11. Norwegian aluminium output almost tripled between 1955 and 1963. See Statistik Årbok for Norge1957-1964.