WORLD TRADE G/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
26June1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2634)
Original: English Committee onImport Licensing
REPLIES TOQUESTIONNAIRE ONIMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES1
Notification under Article 7.3oftheAgreement on
Import Licensing Procedures
SLOVENIA
Thefollowing notification, dated 6June1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent Mission
ofSlovenia.
_______________
Outline ofsystem
1. Asarule,imports toSlovenia arefreewiththeexception ofthose specified inthenational
legislation. Products thataresubject toimport licensing aredefined bycertain regulations thatdetermine
whatconditions must befulfilled inorder toobtain import licences.
Products thataresubject toimport licensing are:
- products affecting public security andorder, health, environment andthecultural heritage;
- certain textile products andclothing thataresubject tounilateral quantitative restrictions; and
- certain agricultural products when theseproducts areimported within therange oftariffquotas.
Products subject toimport licensing arespecified bythetariffnumbers andareimported under
cover ofaprior authorization issued bytheresponsible ministry orauthorized body.
Purposes andcoverage oflicensing
2-5. Theimport licensing system isbased onthefollowing:
(a) Licences forgoods subject tospecial control suchas:
- weapons, ammunition andexplosives;
- poisons, drugs, psychotropic substances andprecursors; substances affecting theozone layer;
- radioactive chemical elements andradioactive isotopes, theircompounds, nuclear materials
andequipment;
- special waste andscrap materials;
- seeds andsemen;
1TheQuestionnaire iscontained intheAnnex todocument G/LIC/3.G/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
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- special objects ofart;and
- goldandcoins.
Import licences forthese goods arerequired onimportation from allcountries.
Thelicensing forthementioned goods isnotintended torestrict thequantity orvalue ofimports
buttoprotect national security, health, environment, cultural heritage, toprevent money laundering
aswellastofulfil thecommitments undertaken bySlovenia regarding theinternational agreements.
Thelegalframework fortheselicences istheLawonForeign Trade -Article 8(Official Gazette
No.13/93, 66/93, 7/94and58/95), theDecree ontheDetermination oftheImport andExport Regimes
forSpecified Goods (Official Gazette No.75/95 and73/96) andother lawsandregulations thatgovern
certain areas, suchastheLawonDefence, theLawonDrugs, theLawonTrafficking ofPoisons,
theActonRadiationProtectionandtheSafeUseofNuclearEnergy,theActonEnvironmentalProtection
andother regulations.
Itisnotpossible fortheexecutive branch toabolish thecurrent system ofthiskindofimport
licensing without legislative approval.
(b) Licences forgoods subject toimport quotas:
- forcertaincategoriesoftextilesandclothingproducts,whicharesubjecttounilateralquantitative
restrictions inaccordance withtheAgreement onTextiles andClothing. Licences arebased
onannual quotas determined bytheGovernment atthebeginning ofeachcalendar yearand
allocated through theappropriate associations ofeconomic entities within theChamber of
Commerce. Thisallocation isdoneonasimultaneous examination basis atthejointmeeting
ofallinterested applicants.
These licences areissued forimportation fromallcountries withtheexception ofthose with
which Slovenia concluded freetradeagreements orother preferential agreements (EUmember states,
CEFTA, EFTA countries, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Macedonia).
Thelicensingisintendedtorestrictthequantityofimports.Alternativemethodsofaccomplishing
these purposes havenotbeenconsidered.
Theissuing oftheselicences isbased ontheprovisions oftheLawonForeign Trade, Article 8
(Official Gazette oftheRepublic ofSlovenia No.13/93, 66/93, 7/94and58/95), theDecree on
Determination oftheImport andExport Regimes forSpecified Goods (Official Gazette No.75/95 and
73/96) andtheDecree ontheManner, Time Periods andConditions fortheAllocation ofImport Quotas
(Official Gazette No.15/93 and69/95).
Thissystem oflicensing canbeabolished bytheGovernment without changing theLawon
Foreign Trade.
Slovenia hasalready notified theprogramme fortheprogressive elimination ofthequantitative
restrictions maintained ontheimports oftextile andclothing products, which were notified under
Article 3.1oftheAgreement onTextiles andClothing (document G/TMB/N/90/Add.1).
(c) Licences forgoods subject totariff quotas:
- forcertain agricultural products.G/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
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Thelicensing fortheseproducts isusedtoadminister imports under tariffquotas. Thepurpose
ofthelicensing istofulfil thecommitments undertaken bySlovenia regarding theobligations within
WTO andpreferential orfreetrade agreements.
Thegovernmental body which isresponsible forissuing licences fordetermined agricultural
products istheMinistry ofEconomic Relations andDevelopment.
There aretwoforms oftariff quotas subject tothiskindoflicensing:
- tariff quotas regarding theobligations within WTO.
Thesystem applies forspecified agricultural products coming from allcountries.
- tariff quotas regarding thepreferential orfreetrade agreements.
Thesystem applies forspecified agricultural products coming fromthose countries, withwhich
Slovenia concluded preferential orfreetrade agreements.
Asalready mentioned onlythose agricultural products thatareintended tobeimported within
tariff quotas aresubject toimport licensing.
Theimports outoftariff quotas andexceeding tariff quotas arenotsubject tolicensing
procedures.
Thelicensing regarding theobligations within WTO fortheyear1997isgoverned bytheDecree
ondetermining tariff quotas for1997 (Official Gazette No.73/96) inaccordance withtheGeneral
Agreement onTariffs andTrade.
Theissuing oflicences regarding tariffquotas forgoods originating inthecountries withwhich
Slovenia concluded preferential orfreetradeagreements isgoverned bytherelevant decrees regulating
theimplementation ofthese agreements.
Itisnotpossible fortheexecutive branch toabolish thissystem without legislative approval.
Procedures
6. Forproducts under quantity restriction:
I. Information onannual global quotas ispublished intheformofgovernmental decrees
intheOfficial Gazette. Theoverall amounts ofquotas arepublished andarenot
allocatedtogoodsfromanyparticularcountry,neitherisamaximumamountdetermined
which canbeallocated toasingle importer.
II. Thevolume ofquotas isdetermined onayearly basis. Licences areissued foracertain
period; inprinciple theirvalidity islimited to90daysandmaybeextended.
III. Licences areissued toallimporters onthesame basisregarding criteria forallocation
ofcertain shares oftheamount ofquota fordetermined goods tocertain importers (see
VIIIbelow).
Importers whoaredomestic producers oflikegoods areinprinciple excluded from
allocation ofthequotas ofsuchproducts.G/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
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IV. Theassociations oftheusers ofproducts under quota regime within theChamber of
Commerce should allocate quotas totheimporters within 30daysoftheenactment
ofthegovernmental decree onthevolume ofquotas.
Relevant associations areobliged toannounce thetime-limits forthesubmission of
applications. Thispublic announcement should bemade atleast21daysbefore the
allocation ofquotas.
Applicants whodidnotreceive thelicence intheamounts desired andother applicants
whomaymake applications atanytimeduring theyear, willbeconsidered inthe
reallocation oftheunused quotas atthebeginning ofthethirdandfourth quarters of
thecalendar year.
V. Themaximum timeallowed forprocessing theapplications is15days. Licences are
issued within themaximum ofthree working days.
VI. Theimportation maytakeplace immediately afterthelicence hasbeenissued.
VII. Asarule,licence applications areconsidered onlybyoneadministrative authority.
TheChamber ofCommerce istheonlyauthority responsible fortheadministration
ofquotas andissuing ofimport licences.
VIII. Ifthedemand forlicences cannot befullysatisfied theallocation ofquotas iscarried
outonthebasis ofevaluation ofneeds andtechnical capacity oftheapplicant
(production, restructuring ofproduction incaseofproducers; salesnetwork, amount
ofturnover incaseoftraders) aswellaspastperformance. Areserve oftenpercent
ofeachquota isdesignated fornewimporters (newly founded companies). Asaspecial
reservation ofapartoftheglobal quota determined bytheGovernment, fivepercent
oftheglobal quota (which isequal totheGDP share ofsmall business inSlovenia)
isallocated totheSmall Business Association. Thisshare oftheglobal quota is
administered bytheChamber ofSmall Business. Inprinciple allapplications are
examined simultaneously, three times ayear. Incases ofnewimporters andnewly
founded companies, applications areexamined onacase-by-case basis.
IX-X. Slovenia isnotamember ofanysuchexport restraint arrangements.
XI. Insome cases licences areissued inexcess ofthequota provided thatthegoods will
beprocessed forexport.
7. When thereisnoquantitative limitonimportation ornolimitonimportation fromaparticular
country:
(a) there isnofixed time-limit forsubmitting anapplication inadvance ofimportation;
(b) alicence cannot begranted immediately uponrequest. Prior review ofthelicence isrequired;
(c) there arenolimitations astotheperiod oftheyearduring which applications canbemade.
(d)(i) Licensing regarding tariff quotas
Alicence regarding tariff quotas isissued bytheMinistry ofEconomic Relations and
Development.ThedecisionismadeuponpriorconsultationswithothergovernmentalinstitutionsG/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
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orauthorized bodies, suchas:theMinistry forAgriculture, Forestry andFood, theMinistry
ofFinance andtheChamber ofCommerce. Inallcases applicants needtoapproach onlyone
administrative body, thatistheMinistry ofEconomic Relations andDevelopment.
(ii) Licensing regarding special control
Alicence regarding special control isissued byasingle administrative body(sometimes upon
priorconsultation withother governmental bodies), asdefined intheDecree onDetermination
oftheImport andExport Regimes forSpecified Goods.
Therefore theapplicant doesnotneedtoapproach other institutions except upon importation
ofprepared explosives andnon-electric joined ignition sets,composed fromanincendiary tube
andadetonator -forthese anapplicant must firstobtain theapproval oftheMinistry of
Economic Affairs before applying foralicence attheMinistry ofInternal Affairs.
Inanyother caseanimporter doesnotneedtoapproach more thanone(defined) institution.
8. Application foralicence canberefused forsecurity reasons. Reasons forrefusal arealways
stated intherejection letter. However, theapplicant hastherighttoappeal tohigher authorities.
Eligibility ofimporters toapply forlicence
9. Allpersons, firms andinstitutions areeligible toapply foralicence iftheymeetordinary criteria
andinsome cases special criteria.
Documentational andother requirements forapplication foralicence
10. Theapplication forimport ofcertain goods hastoprovide thefollowing information:
- company name, company codeandfulladdress ofuserorproprietor ofthegoods thataresubject
toimport;
- nine-digit customs code;
- description ofgoods according tothecustoms nomenclature;
- commercial name ofgoods;
- quantity ofgoods;
- company andfulladdresses offoreign supplier orbuyer;
- dateofdelivery;
- statement onthepurpose ofimport; and
- other necessary information.
Theimporter isrequired tosupply certain documents, suchas:registration certificate and
documents necessary tocertify thedataintheimport licensing application form; suchasproforma
invoice, insome cases quality certificate, commercial contract, etc.
11. Upon actual importation theimporter hastopresent tothecustoms authorities thefollowing
documents: proforma invoice, transport documents, specifications, customs declaration, certification
oforigin, import licence andanyother documents deemed necessary.
12. There isalicensing feeuptotheamount ofUS$3.
13. Nodeposit oradvance payment associated withtheissuance oflicences isrequired.G/LIC/N/3/SVN/1
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14. Inmostcases theimport licence isvaliduntiltheendofthecalendar yearduring which ithas
been granted. However itdepends ontheimporter howsoon theimportation isgoing tobe
accomplished.
Asarule,attheendofthecalendar yearanewapplication foralicence must bemade.
15. There arenopenalties forthenon-utilization ofalicence oraportion ofalicence.
16. Licences arenottransferable between importers.
17. There arenoother conditions related totheissuance ofalicence.
Other procedural requirements
18. Noother administrative procedures arerequired.
19. Theforeign exchange necessary topayforlicensed imports ismade available tolicence holders
onthesame basis astoimporters ofgoods notrequiring import licences.