RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/HRV/11/Add.1
8November 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4746)
Original: English
ACCESSION OFCROATIA
Additional Questions andReplies
Addendum
Thefollowing replies toadditional questions havebeenreceived fromtheRepublic ofCroatia.
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TECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE:
Question 1:
Thisdocument (WT/ACC/HRV/15) states onpage 2,inthesub-paragraph entitled Import
andExport Quality Control ofCertain Goods Act: "This provides forquality control onimport
andexport ofcertain agricultural andalimentary products andconsiderable quantities of
non-alimentary products ofvarious types (such aselectrical household appliances, cars, carparts,
oilderivatives, textile products andfootwear). Imported products from theabove mentioned
categories canonlyenter theCroatian market iftheyhavebeencertified, declared, labelled and
packed inaccordance withtheregulations andareoftheprescribed composition."
How should thesame products which areproduced inCroatia andwillbeconsumed in
Croatia alsobecertified? Isthere anydifferent treatment between imported goods andnational
goods?
Answer:
Article 3oftheLawonthecontrol ofQuality ofSpecific Products onImport andExport
stipulates thatquality control determines whether imported andexported products meet themarket
conditions inCroatia, which conform tothenational standards, regulations, international agreements
andcertificates binding theRepublic ofCroatia. Imported goods anddomestic goods aretreated equally.
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY REGIME:
Question 2:
Thisdocument (WT/ACC/HRV/21) mentions theLawonAnimal Health Protection and
Veterinary Medicine butdoesnotmention regulation concerning "food". Isthere anylawor
regulation onthisitem?WT/ACC/HRV/11/Add.1
Page2
Answer:
Thelawandregulations concerning foodare:
- lawonfoodquality andfoodquality control andsubject togeneral usewhich entails thefood
quality provisions, thesanitary control offooduponproduction anddistribution tothemarket,
laboratory inspection ofproduction, foodquality control onimports, theobligations and
responsibilities ofthesanitary inspection unitforimplementing quality control, andpenalties
forphysical andlegalpersons whoproduce trade (import andexport) anddistribute food;
- regulation onquality control ofdrinking water forpublic useofforfoodproduction intended
forsale:
- regulation ontheconditions concerning microbiotic quality control which mustabide bythe
provisions ofdistributed food;
- regulations onstandardization ofmicrobiotic cleanliness andmethod ofdetermination;
- regulation onthescope, conditions andmanner offoodinspection forfoodinproduction and
subject togeneral use,andthemanner ofevidencing performed inspections;
- regulations onqualifications metbyexpert employees, space andlaboratory conditions for
producers;
- regulation onexpert employees, space andequipment useforfoodanalysis, superanalysis and
specific analysis offoodandfoodproducts forgeneral use;
- regulation onadditives, which maybeinorseparate fromfood, amount ofpesticides, toxins,
mycotoxin, metals andlikesubstances infoodproducts.
RULES OFORIGIN:
Question 3a:
Thisdocument (WT/ACC/HRV/24) states "goods ofCroatian origin areconsidered to
begoods produced inCroatia from imported goods whose primary properties were changed in
theproduction process, forinstance:
1) ifimported goods arelisted under onetariff number, thatistosayacustoms tariff item,
whereas thenewly produced good isclassified under another tariff number orcustoms
tariff item;
2) iftheadded value ontheimported goods amounts toaminimum 50% ofthenewly
produced goods".
Canweunderstand thattheCroatian Government, when itdecides theorigin ofimported
goods from another country, applies thesame conditions asmentioned under 1)and2)?Ifit
applies different conditions, howaretheydefined?WT/ACC/HRV/11/Add.1
Page3
Answer:
According tolegislation governing therules oforigin, goods ofCroatian origin arealso
considered tobegoods produced intheRepublic ofCroatia from imported goods whose primary
properties weresubstantially changed. Thischange isindicated bythetariffitems ofthenewly produced
goods intheRepublic ofCroatia inrelation totheimported goods orifthenewly added value onthe
imported goods amounts toaminimum 50%ofthetotalvalue ofthenewly produced goods.
Inaccordance withthelegislation, theprimary properties ofthegoods arenotconsidered to
besubstantially changed if:
1. goods arepackaged orrepacked regardless ofwhere thepackaging wasproduced;
2. larger quantities areadded tosmaller quantities;
3. goods aregraded, classified, washed outordivided bychopping andbottling;
4. goods arelabelled ormarked;
5. goods arecanned fortransport orstorage;
6. goods areputinapileorgrouped.
Certificates ontheCroatian origin ofgoods areissued bytheCroatian Chamber ofEconomy
uponthepresentation ofwritten documentation bydomestic manufacturers thatthegoods areofCroatian
origin. Intheevent thatgoods aremade fromforeign components, theproducer hastosupply proof
bypresentingthesupplier'sinvoiceandacopyofcustomsimportdocumentsinordertoestablishwhether
theabove mentioned criteria oftheCroatian origin ofgoods hasbeenmet.
Question 3b:
Thisdocument (WT/ACC/HRV/24) states that"iftheadded value ontheimported goods
amounts toaminimum of50%ofthenewly produced goods". Isthisamount calculated ina
clearly defined wayandhowisthecalculation regulated?
Answer:
When calculating theadded value ontheimported goods, thebasisofassessment istheprice
oftheimported goods inrelation totheprice ofthenewly produced good ex-works. Thismethod
ofcalculating thenewly added value isstipulated bytheLawonIssuing Certificates andWitnessing
Documents Accompanying Imports andExports ofGoods.
Question 3c:
Isthere anyregulation onpreferential rules oforigin? Ifso,aretheconditions clearly
determined?
Answer:
TheLawonTrade stipulates thatincases where theRepublic ofCroatia gives preferential
tariff ratestoacertain country, theprovisions governing theorigin ofgoods should bestipulated in
theAgreement concluded withthegiven country.WT/ACC/HRV/11/Add.1
Page4
TRADE RELATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REGIME:
Question 4:
This document (WT/ACC/HRV/15) mentions onpage 12,under (h),requirements on
undisclosed information, including trade secrets andtestdata: "Trade secret inCroatian law
isnotcomparable totheinstitution oftrade secret recognized bythelawof,forexample, United
States, butsome protection inthissense isprovided under theprovisions oftheCriminal Law".
Isthisprotection oftrade secrets bytheCroatian regulation compatible withArticle 39ofthe
TRIPS Agreement?
Answer:
TheLawonGeneral Administrative inArticle 150stipulates thatthegeneral public maybe
excluded from thediscussion intheevent thatatrade secret willbetouched upon. Inaddition, in
Article 32theLawonGovernment Officials andEmployees stipulates theconditions under which
government secrets, which areexpressed bylegislation, must bekept. Thisobligation isenforced
duringemploymentwiththepossibilityofextensionafterterminationofemployment.Thus,government
officials andemployees areobligated tokeepgovernment secrets andnotusethem forpersonal or
professional benefits.
Thefollowing laws: LawonCrimes, Article 104; theLabour Law, Articles 89,93and155;
theLawonTrade, Article 58;theCompany Law, Articles 248,273and629; stipulate thatnatural
andlegalentities mayinternally, within theirorganization ofemployment, create andprotect atrade
secret bywritten registration (within theorganization), allowing onlycertain employees access, and
explicitly written procedures, obligations andconsequences. Intheevent ofabreach orleakof
information concerning thetrade secret ofthetrade secret itself, thegiven organization hastheright
toexercise theappropriate legalprovision stipulated intheabove mentioned laws.