. /.No._______________WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SECRET/HS96/46
20 October 2000
(00-4362)
Original:  English
1996 CHANGES IN THE HARMONIZED SYSTEM
Schedule CXXXIX – Republic of Bulgaria
Submission of Documents
The following communication, dated 21 September 2000, has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Bulgaria.
_______________
Pursuant to the procedures to implement changes in the Harmonized system and to the
Decision adopted by the Council for Trade in G oods on Introduction of Harmonized System changes
into WTO schedules of tariff concessions, the Republic of Bulgaria hereby submits the required
documentation containing the proposed changes in the Schedule CXXXIX - Republic of Bulgaria,
resulting from introduction of the HS 1996 changes.
The Republic of Bulgaria introduced HS96 changes into its national customs tariff on
1 January 1996. Copies of the national customs tariffs for years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 in
the English language have been submitted to the WTO Secretariat.
Annex I
This Annex contains a draft version of proposed changes into Section I-A - Agricultural
products, Duties, Section I-B - Agricultural Products, Ta riff Quotas and Section II - Other Products of
the Schedule CXXXIX resulting from the introduction of the HS 1996 changes.
In a number of cases, the changes proposed in the Annex are related to the introduction of the
Combined Nomenclature (CN) of the European Co mmunity. The tariff and statistical nomenclature of
the EC was adopted by Bulgaria on 1 January 1996.
Tariff items affected by HS 1996 changes are indicated by one asterisk and those affected by
the introduction of CN - by two asterisks in column 1.
Section II – Other products also incorporates the commitments under the Agreement on Trade
in Civil Aircraft to which the Republic of Bulgaria acceded on December 1, 1996 in accordance with
paragraph 81 of the Report of the Working Party on the accession of Bulgaria. Those commitments
have not been incorporated in the original Schedule CXXXIX.
For transparency purposes, the Annex contains not only the tariff items affected by any of the
changes referred to above, but all tariff items included in the original Schedule CXXXIX.G/SECRET/HS96/46
Page 2
In cases where 1996 items involve transpositio ns from two or more previous items with
different rates of duty, the lowest rates are applie d. The only exceptions to this rule are listed in
Annex III.
Annex II
Annex II contains concordance tables between the tariff items in Schedule CXXXIX based on
the HS92 and the tariff items in Annex I based on HS96.
Annex III
Annex III lists all cases where 1996 items involve transpositions from two or more previous
headings with different rates of duty and where the lowest rates of duty do not apply.
Import statistics for 1993, 1994 and 1995 and explanatory comments on the proposed rates of
duty are included for each item covered by this Annex.
_______________
If no objection is notified to the Secretariat within 90 days from the date of this document, the
changes to Schedule CXXXIX – Republic of Bulgaria will be deemed to be approved and will beformally certified.
Electronic copies or hard copies (in English only) of the above document are available for
collection in the Market Access Division (Ms. D. Wood, office No. 3142).
__________