DECISION No 3/97 OF THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL Association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Bulgaria, of the other part of 23 December 1997 concerning the export of certain ECSC steel products from Bulgaria to the Community for the period 1 January to 31 December 1998 (renewal of the double-checking system) (98/75/EC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Whereas the Contact Group referred to in Article 11 of Protocol 2 to the Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Bulgaria, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 February 1995, met on 3 June 1997 and agreed to recommend to the Association Council established under Article 105 of the Agreement that the double-checking system introduced in 1997 by Association Council Decision No 1/96 should be extended for the period 1 January to 31 December 1998;

Whereas the Association Council, having been supplied with all relevant information, has agreed to this recommendation,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

1. For the period 1 January to 31 December 1998, imports into the Community of the products listed in Annex I originating in Bulgaria shall be subject to the presentation of a surveillance document conforming to the model shown in Annex II issued by the authorities in the Community.

2. The classification of the products covered by this Decision is based on the tariff and statistical nomenclature of the Community (hereinafter called the 'Combined Nomenclature`, or, in abbreviated form, 'CN`). The origin of the products covered by this Decision shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the Community.

3. For the period 1 January to 31 December 1998, imports into the Community of the iron and steel products listed in Annex I and which originate in Bulgaria shall, in addition, be subject to the issue of an export document by the competent Bulgarian authorities. Presentation by the importer of the original of the export document must be effected not later than 31 March of the year following that in which the goods covered by the document were shipped. Shipment is considered to have taken place on the date of loading on to the exporting means of transport.

4. The export document shall conform to the model shown in Annex III. It shall be valid for exports throughout the customs territory of the Community.

5. The Republic of Bulgaria shall notify the Commission of the European Communities of the names and addresses of the appropriate Bulgarian governmental authorities which are authorized to issue and verify export documents and shall send it specimens of the stamps and signatures they use. The Republic of Bulgaria shall also notify the Commission of any change in these particulars.

6. Certain technical provisions on the implementation of the double-checking system are set out in Annex IV.

Article 2

1. The Republic of Bulgaria undertakes to supply the Community with precise statistical information on the export licences issued by the Bulgarian authorities pursuant to Article 1. Such information shall be forwarded to the Community by the end of the period following the month to which the statistics relate.

2. The Community undertakes to supply the Bulgarian authorities with precise statistical information on surveillance documents issued by Member States in respect of the export documents issued by the Bulgarian authorities pursuant to Article 1. Such information shall be forwarded to the Bulgarian authorities by the end of the period following the month to which the statistics relate.

Article 3

If necessary, at the request of either of the Parties, consultations shall be held on any problems arising from the operation of this Decision. Such consultations shall be held promptly. Any consultations held under this Article shall be approached by both Parties in a spirit of cooperation and with a desire to reconcile the difference between them.

Article 4

Any notices to be given hereunder shall be given:

- in respect of the Community, to the Commission of the European Communities (DG I.D.2 and DG III.C.1),

- in respect of the Republic of Bulgaria, to the Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Communities and to the Ministry of Trade and Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Article 5

This Decision shall be binding on both the Community and the Republic of Bulgaria which shall take the measures necessary to implement it.

Article 6

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

It shall apply with effect from 1 January 1998.

Done at Brussels, 23 December 1997.

For the Association Council

The President

J. POOS

ANNEX I

BULGARIA

List of products subject to double-checking (1998)

7206 10 00

7206 90 00

7208 10 00

7208 25 00

7208 26 00

7208 27 00

7208 36 00

7208 37 10

7208 37 90

7208 38 10

7208 38 90

7208 39 10

7208 39 90

7208 40 10

7208 40 90

7208 51 10

7208 51 30

7208 51 50

7208 51 91

7208 51 99

7208 52 10

7208 52 91

7208 52 99

7208 53 10

7208 53 90

7208 54 10

7208 54 90

7208 90 10

7209 15 00

7209 16 10

7209 16 90

7209 17 10

7209 17 90

7209 18 10

7209 18 91

7209 18 99

7209 25 00

7209 26 10

7209 26 90

7209 27 10

7209 27 90

7209 28 10

7209 28 90

7209 90 10

7210 11 10

7210 12 11

7210 12 19

7210 20 10

7210 30 10

7210 41 10

7210 49 10

7210 50 10

7210 61 10

7210 69 10

7210 70 31

7210 70 39

7210 90 31

7210 90 33

7210 90 38

7211 13 00

7211 14 10

7211 14 90

7211 19 20

7211 19 90

7211 23 10

7211 23 51

7211 29 20

7211 90 11

7212 10 10

7212 10 91

7212 20 11

7212 30 11

7212 40 10

7212 40 91

7212 50 31

7212 50 51

7212 60 11

7212 60 91

7213 10 00

7213 20 00

7213 91 10

7213 91 20

7213 91 41

7213 91 49

7213 91 70

7213 91 90

7213 99 10

7213 99 90

7214 20 00

7214 30 00

7214 91 10

7214 91 90

7214 99 10

7214 99 31

7214 99 39

7214 99 50

7214 99 61

7214 99 69

7214 99 80

7214 99 90

7215 90 10

7216 10 00

7216 21 00

7216 22 00

7216 31 11

7216 31 19

7216 31 91

7216 31 99

7216 32 11

7216 32 19

7216 32 91

7216 32 99

7216 33 10

7216 33 90

7216 40 10

7216 40 90

7216 50 10

7216 50 91

7216 50 99

7216 99 10

7225 11 00

7225 19 10

7225 19 90

7225 20 20

7225 30 00

7225 40 20

7225 40 50

7225 40 80

7225 50 00

7225 91 10

7225 92 10

7225 99 10

7226 11 10

7226 19 10

7226 19 30

7226 20 20

7226 91 10

7226 91 90

7226 92 10

7226 93 20

7226 94 20

7226 99 20

7227 10 00

7227 20 00

7227 90 10

7227 90 50

7227 90 95

7228 10 10

7228 10 30

7228 20 11

7228 20 19

7228 20 30

7228 30 20

7228 30 41

7228 30 49

7228 30 61

7228 30 69

7228 30 70

7228 30 89

7228 60 10

7228 70 10

7228 70 31

7228 80 10

7228 80 90

ANNEX II

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EUROPEAN COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE DOCUMENT 1. Consignee (name, full address, country, VAT number) 2. Issue number 3. Proposed place and date of import 4. Authority responsible for issue (name, address and telephone No) 5. Declarant/representative as applicable (name and full address) 6. Country of origin (and geonomenclature code) 7. Country of consignment (and geonomenclature code) 8. Last day of validity 9. Description of goods 10. CN code and category 11. Quantity in kilograms (net mass) or in additional units 12. Value in ecus, cif at Community frontier 13. Additional remarks 14. Competent authority's endorsement Date: . Signature: . Stamp: 1 1 Original & Copy 15. ATTRIBUTIONS Indicate the quantity available in part 1 of column 17 and the quantity attributed in part 2 thereof. 16. Net quantity (net mass or other unit of measure stating the unit) 17. In figures 18. In words for the quantity attributed 19. Customs document (form and number) or extract No and date of attribution 20. Name, Member State, stamp and signature of the attributing authority 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 Extension pages to be attached hereto.

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EUROPEAN COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE DOCUMENT 1. Consignee (name, full address, country, VAT number) 2. Issue number 3. Proposed place and date of import 4. Authority responsible for issue (name, address and telephone No) 5. Declarant/representative as applicable (name and full address) 6. Country of origin (and geonomenclature code) 7. Country of consignment (and geonomenclature code) 8. Last day of validity 9. Description of goods 10. CN code and category 11. Quantity in kilograms (net mass) or in additional units 12. Value in ecus, cif at Community frontier 13. Additional remarks 14. Competent authority's endorsement Date: . Signature: . Stamp: 2 2 Copy for the issuing authority 15. ATTRIBUTIONS Indicate the quantity available in part 1 of column 17 and the quantity attributed in part 2 thereof. 16. Net quantity (net mass or other unit of measure stating the unit) 17. In figures 18. In words for the quantity attributed 19. Customs document (form and number) or extract No and date of attribution 20. Name, Member State, stamp and signature of the attributing authority 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 Extension pages to be attached hereto.

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ANNEX III

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(1) Show net weight (kg) and also quantity in the unit prescribed where other than net weight. (2) In the currency of the sale contract. 1 Exporter (name, full address, country) ORIGINAL 2 No 3 Year 4 Product group 5 Consignee (name, full address, country) EXPORT DOCUMENT (ECSC steel products) 6 Country of origin 7 Country of destination 8 Place and date of shipment - Means of transport 9 Supplementary details 10 Description of goods - Manufacturer 11 CN code 12 Quantity (1) 13 FOB value (2) 14 CERTIFICATION BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY 15 Competent authority (name, full address, country) At . , on . (Signature) (Stamp)

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(1) Show net weight (kg) and also quantity in the unit prescribed where other than net weight. (2) In the currency of the sale contract. 1 Exporter (name, full address, country) COPY 2 No 3 Year 4 Product group 5 Consignee (name, full address, country) EXPORT DOCUMENT (ECSC steel products) 6 Country of origin 7 Country of destination 8 Place and date of shipment - Means of transport 9 Supplementary details 10 Description of goods - Manufacturer 11 CN code 12 Quantity (1) 13 FOB value (2) 14 CERTIFICATION BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY 15 Competent authority (name, full address, country) At . , on . (Signature) (Stamp)

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ANNEX IV

REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

Technical Annex on the double-checking system

1. The export documents shall measure 210 × 297 mm. The paper used shall be white writing paper, sized, not containing mechanical pulp, and weighing not less than 25 g/m². They shall be printed in English. If they are completed by hand, entries must be in ink and in printed script. These documents may comprise additional copies duly indicated as such. If the documents have several copies only the top copy is the original. This copy shall be clearly marked as 'original` and other copies as 'copies`. Only the original shall be accepted by the competent authorities of the Community as being valid for the control of export to the Community in accordance with the provisions of the double-checking system.

2. Each document shall bear a standardised serial number, whether or not printed, by which it can be identified. This number shall be composed of the following elements:

- two letters identifying the exporting country as follows: BG,

- two letters identifying the intended Member State of customs clearance as follows:

>TABLE>

- a one-digit number identifying the year, corresponding to the last figure in the respective year, e.g. 8 for 1998,

- a two-digit number from 01 to 99, identifying the particular issuing office concerned in the exporting country,

- a five-digit number running consecutively from 00001 to 99999 allocated to the intended Member State of customs clearance.

3. The export documents shall be valid for six months from the date of their issue. Products shall be shipped during the calendar year appearing in box 3 of the export document.

4. Each export document may be used for one or more consignments of the products in question. However, since the importer needs to present the original export document when requesting a surveillance document, export documents should, as far as possible, be issued in respect of individual commercial transactions, not global contracts.

5. The Republic of Bulgaria need not show price information on the export document if there is a genuine need to protect commercial confidentiality. In such cases, box 9 of the export document should indicate the reason for not showing the price information and that it is available to the competent authorities of the Community on request.

6. Export documents may be issued after the shipment of the products to which they relate. In such cases they must bear the endorsement 'issued retrospectively`.

7. In the event of a theft, loss or destruction of an export document, the exporter may apply to the competent governmental authority which issued the document for a duplicate to be made out on the basis of the export documents in his possession. The duplicate of any such document so issued shall bear the endorsement 'duplicate`. The duplicate shall bear the date of the original export document.

8. The competent authorities of the Community shall be informed immediately of the withdrawal or modification of any export documents already issued and, where relevant, of the basis for such action.

9. The Republic of Bulgaria intends to include a description of the classification of the goods (i.e. first or second choice or other substandard products) in box 10 of the export document.