DECISION No 2/95 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 22 December 1995

concerning the export of certain ECSC steel products from the Republic of Bulgaria to the Community

(95/572/ECSC)

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Whereas the Contact Group referred to in Article 11 of Protocol 2 of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Economic Community and the European Coal and Steel Community ('the Community') of the one part and the Republic of Bulgaria of the other part (1) (hereinafter referred to as 'the Interim Agreement'), which entered into force on 31 December 1993, met on 25 January 1995 to discuss trends in imports of ECSC products from the Republic of Bulgaria into the Community and recognized the need to find appropriate solutions within the framework of Article 28 (1) of the Interim Agreement in order to ensure that the attainment of the objectives of the Interim Agreement would not be jeopardized;

Whereas, in view of the possible difficulties which might arise from such imports, the Contact Group decided to refer the matter to the Joint Committee referred to in Article 39 of the Interim Agreement;

Whereas, following the entry into force of 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 (2), that Agreement has replaced the Interim Agreement; whereas the Association Council established under the Europe Agreement has now assumed responsibility for decision-making and has therefore been seized of this measure;

Whereas the Parties are desirous to promote the orderly and equitable development of trade in steel between the Community and the Republic of Bulgaria;

Whereas the Association Council, having been supplied with all relevant information, has determined that the solution acceptable to the two Parties is a double-checking system, without quantitative limits, for the import into the Community of certain steel products covered by the ECSC Treaty for an initial period between 1 March and 31 December 1995,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

1. The Community shall continue to apply the system of prior Community surveillance of imports of certain ECSC products during 1995 established by Commission Recommendation No 3118/94/ECSC (3) as regards the importation into the Community of the products listed in Annex I which originate in the Republic of Bulgaria.

2. For the period 1 March to 31 December 1995, import into the Community of the iron and steel products covered by the ECSC Treaty listed in Annex I and which originate in the Republic of Bulgaria shall, in addition, be subject to the issue of an export licence by the competent Bulgarian authorities.

3. An export licence will not be required for goods shipped before 1 March 1995. Shipment is considered to have taken place on the date of loading onto the exporting aircraft, vehicle or vessel.

4. The export licence shall conform to the model shown at Annex II. 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 to verify export licences together with specimens of the stamps and signatures they use. The Republic of Bulgaria shall also notify the Commission of any change in these particulars.

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 transmitted 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 import authorizations issued by Member States in respect of the products listed in Annex I. Such information shall be transmitted 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.2),

- in respect of the Republic of Bulgaria, to the Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Communities; and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation 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 signature.

It shall apply with effect from 1 March 1995.

Done at Brussels, 22 December 1995.

For the Association Council

The President

L. ATIENZA SERNA

(1) OJ No L 323, 23. 12. 1993, p. 2, as last amended by the exchange of letters (OJ No L 178, 12. 7. 1994, p. 71).

(2) OJ No L 358, 31. 12. 1994, p. 3.

(3) OJ No L 330, 21. 12. 1994, p. 6.

ANEXO I - BILAG I - ANHANG I - ÐÁÑÁÑÔÇÌÁ I - ANNEX I - ANNEXE I - ALLEGATO I - BIJLAGE I - ANEXO I - LIITE I - BILAGA I

7201 10 11

7201 10 19

7201 10 30

7201 10 90

7201 20 00

7201 30 10

7201 30 90

7201 40 00

7202 11 20

7202 11 80

7202 99 11

7203 90 00

7204 50 10

7204 50 90

7206 10 00

7206 90 00

7207 11 11

7207 11 14

7207 11 16

7207 12 10

7207 19 11

7207 19 14

7207 19 16

7207 19 31

7207 20 11

7207 20 15

7207 20 17

7207 20 32

7207 20 51

7207 20 55

7207 20 57

7207 20 71

7208 11 00

7208 12 10

7208 12 91

7208 12 95

7208 12 98

7208 13 10

7208 13 91

7208 13 95

7208 13 98

7208 14 10

7208 14 91

7208 14 99

7208 21 10

7208 21 90

7208 22 10

7208 22 91

7208 22 95

7208 22 98

7208 23 10

7208 23 91

7208 23 95

7208 23 98

7208 24 10

7208 24 91

7208 24 99

7208 31 00

7208 32 10

7208 32 30

7208 32 51

7208 32 59

7208 32 91

7208 32 99

7208 33 10

7208 33 91

7208 33 99

7208 34 10

7208 34 90

7208 35 10

7208 35 90

7208 41 00

7208 42 10

7208 42 30

7208 42 51

7208 42 59

7208 42 91

7208 42 99

7208 43 10

7208 43 91

7208 43 99

7208 44 10

7208 44 90

7208 45 10

7208 45 90

7208 90 10

7209 11 00

7209 12 10

7209 12 90

7209 13 10

7209 13 90

7209 14 10

7209 14 90

7209 21 00

7209 22 10

7209 22 90

7209 23 10

7209 23 90

7209 24 10

7209 24 91

7209 24 99

7209 31 00

7209 32 10

7209 32 90

7209 33 10

7209 33 90

7209 34 10

7209 34 90

7209 41 00

7209 42 10

7209 42 90

7209 43 10

7209 43 90

7209 44 10

7209 44 90

7209 90 10

7210 11 10

7210 12 11

7210 12 19

7210 20 10

7210 31 10

7210 39 10

7210 41 10

7210 49 10

7210 50 10

7210 60 11

7210 60 19

7210 70 31

7210 70 39

7210 90 31

7210 90 33

7210 90 35

7210 90 39

7211 11 00

7211 12 10

7211 12 90

7211 19 10

7211 19 91

7211 19 99

7211 21 00

7211 22 10

7211 22 90

7211 29 10

7211 29 91

7211 29 99

7211 30 10

7211 41 10

7211 41 91

7211 49 10

7211 90 11

7212 10 10

7212 10 91

7212 21 11

7212 29 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 31 10

7213 31 90

7213 39 10

7213 39 90

7213 41 00

7213 49 00

7213 50 10

7213 50 90

7214 20 00

7214 30 00

7214 40 10

7214 40 31

7214 40 39

7214 40 90

7214 50 10

7214 50 31

7214 50 39

7214 50 90

7214 60 00

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 90 10

7218 10 00

7218 90 11

7218 90 13

7218 90 15

7218 90 19

7218 90 50

7219 11 10

7219 11 90

7219 12 10

7219 12 90

7219 13 10

7219 13 90

7219 14 10

7219 14 90

7219 21 11

7219 21 19

7219 21 90

7219 22 10

7219 22 90

7219 23 10

7219 23 90

7219 24 10

7219 24 90

7219 31 10

7219 31 90

7219 32 10

7219 32 90

7219 33 10

7219 33 90

7219 34 10

7219 34 90

7219 35 10

7219 35 90

7219 90 11

7219 90 19

7220 11 00

7220 12 00

7220 20 10

7220 90 11

7220 90 31

7221 00 10

7221 00 90

7222 10 11

7222 10 19

7222 10 21

7222 10 29

7222 10 31

7222 10 39

7222 10 81

7222 10 89

7222 30 10

7222 40 11

7222 40 19

7222 40 30

7224 10 00

7224 90 01

7224 90 05

7224 90 08

7224 90 15

7224 90 31

7224 90 39

7225 10 10

7225 10 91

7225 10 99

7225 20 20

7225 30 00

7225 40 10

7225 40 30

7225 40 50

7225 40 70

7225 40 90

7225 50 10

7225 50 90

7225 90 10

7226 10 10

7226 10 30

7226 20 20

7226 91 10

7226 91 90

7226 92 10

7226 99 20

7227 10 00

7227 20 00

7227 90 10

7227 90 30

7227 90 50

7227 90 70

7228 10 10

7228 10 30

7228 20 11

7228 20 19

7228 20 30

7228 30 20

7228 30 40

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

7301 10 00

ANNEX II (a)

>REFERENCE TO A FILM>

ANNEX II (b)

REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA TECHNICAL ANNEX ON THE DOUBLE-CHECKING SYSTEM

1. The export licences 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 made out 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 standardized 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:

BE = Belgium

DK = Denmark

DE = Germany

EL = Greece

ES = Spain

FR = France

IE = Ireland

IT = Italy

LU = Luxembourg

NL = Netherlands

AT = Austria

PT = Portugal

FI = Finland

SE = Sweden

GB = United Kingdom.

- a one-digit number identifying the year, corresponding to the last figure in the respective year, e. g. 5 for 1995.

- 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 licences shall be valid for four months from the date of their issue. Export licences may be renewed or prolonged.

4. Each export licence may be used for one or more consignments of the products in question.

5. The export licences may be issued after the shipment of the products to which they relate. In such cases they must bear the endorsement 'issued retrospectively'.

6. In the event of a theft, loss or destruction of an export licence, 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 licence so issued shall bear the endorsement 'duplicate'. The duplicate shall bear the date of the original export licence.

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

8. The Republic of Bulgaria intends to include a description of the classification of the goods (i. e. first or second choice or other sub-standard products) in box 10 of the export licence.