15. The representative of the European Communities said that, given that the obligations under Article 70.8 and 70.9 had become applicable on 1 January 1995, the time had come for the Council to establish a complete picture of the situation concerning Members' implementation of these provisions. Therefore, he reiterated the suggestion he had made at the Council's meeting in September 1997 that the Council review the implementing measures taken by Members under Article 70.8 and 70.9, and that Members notify such measures in early 1998. In his delegation's view, such systematic notification and review was preferable, both for the countries who had to notify and for those who wished to get a clearer picture of the status of implementation, compared to an approach where individual countries were selected to address the matter bilaterally, or on the floor of the Council, by other Members who had a particular interest in the matter.
