Opinion of the Advocate General — ECLI:EU:C:2000:10
Date: 2000-01-13
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: External relations;Commercial policy
Procedure: Reference for a preliminary ruling
Origin: Italy

Summary of the Judgmen t 
Common commercial policy — Trade with non-member countries — Regime applying to 
imports into the Community of products originating in the Republics of Croatia and 
Slovenia and the Yugoslav Republics of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montene­
gro — Imports into the Community of 'baby-beef' originating in the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia — Certificates of origin issued by the body formerly authorised to 
do so, a new competent body not yet having been designated — Exclusion from the 
benefit of the arrangements for reductions in import levies 
(Council Regulation No 545/92; Commission Regulation No 859/92) 
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SUMMARY — CASE C-230/98 
Article 7 of Council Regulation No 545/92 
concerning the arrangements applicable to 
the import into the Community of products 
originating in the Republics of Croatia and 
Slovenia and the Yugoslav Republics of 
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Mon­
tenegro and Commission Regulation 
No 859/92 laying down detailed rules gov­
erning imports of'baby-beef' originating in 
the Republics of Croatia and Slovenia and 
the Yugoslav Republics of Bosnia-Herzego­
vina, Macedonia and Montenegro must be 
interpreted as meaning that the importation 
into the Community in September and 
October 1992 of consignments of 'baby-
beef' originating in and coming from the 
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
with certificates of origin issued by the 
Yugoslav body which was the competent 
authority prior to the denunciation by the 
Community of the Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Commu­
nity and the Socialist Federal Republic of 
Yugoslavia was not capable of benefiting 
from the arrangements for reduced import 
levies provided for in Article 7 of Regula­
tion No 545/92, even though a new com­
petent body had not been designated for the 
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at 
the time the import operations took place. 
(see para. 56 and operative part) 
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