the policy that all Member States adopt a common approach to trade with non-EC countries. One element is the Common Customs Tariff on imports from outside the Community. Another is that the Commission negotiates on behalf of all twelve Member States on external trade matters, on a basis previously agreed between them, for example in the negotiations under GATT (q.v.) A third element, not yet achieved, is that all Member States have identical rules on volumes of imports from outside the EC.
