COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1527/2007
of 17 December 2007
amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 temporarily suspending the autonomous common customs tariff duties on certain industrial, agricultural and fishery products
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 26 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1)
It is in the interest of the Community to suspend, partially or totally, the autonomous common customs tariff duties for sixty six new products not listed in the Annex to Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 (1).
(2)
Five products which are currently listed in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 should be withdrawn from the list because it is no longer in the Community’s interest to maintain suspension of autonomous common customs tariff duties for those products.
(3)
In addition, for some products the description needs to be amended in order to take account of technical product developments and economic trends on the market. Those products should be considered as withdrawn from the list and should as a consequence be inserted in it as new products.
(4)
For ease of comprehension, in view of the large number of amendments coming into force on 1 January 2008, the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 should be replaced by a completely new version which has effect from the same date and in which new and amended entries are indicated with an asterisk.
(5)
Experience has shown the necessity to provide for an expiry date for the suspensions listed in Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 to ensure that account is taken of technological and economic changes. This should not exclude the premature termination of certain measures or their continuation beyond this period, if economic reasons are submitted, in accordance with the principles laid down in the Commission Communication of 1998 concerning autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas (2).
(6)
Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(7)
Having regard to the economic importance of this Regulation, it is necessary to rely on the grounds of urgency provided for in point 1.3 of the Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the European Union annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaties establishing the European Community.
(8)
Since the validity periods laid down in this Regulation have to take effect from 1 January 2008, this Regulation should apply from the same date and enter into force immediately,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1255/96 shall be replaced by the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
The temporary suspensions of the autonomous duties of the Common customs tariff for the products set out in the Annex shall apply from 1 January 2008. They shall expire on the dates listed in that Annex.
Article 3
Suspensions of the autonomous duties of the Common customs tariff for the products with TARIC codes 2903399020, 2932298575, 2933199010, 2933399970, 3920621961 and 3920621963 shall be closed with effect from 1 January 2008.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2008.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 17 December 2007.