EN Official Journal of the European Union L 126/12

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 750/2005

of 18 May 2005

on the nomenclature of countries and territories for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1172/95 of 22 May 1995 relating to the trading of goods by the Community and its Member States with non-member countries (1), and in particular Article 9 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2081/2003 of 27 November 2003 on the nomenclature of countries and territories for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States (2) set out the version valid on 1 January 2004.

(2) The alphabetical coding of countries and territories is based on the ISO alpha standard 2 in force as far as it is compatible with the requirements of Community legislation.

(3) It is necessary to identify separately Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo (as defined by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999) for the management of agreements concluded between the European Community and some of those territories on trade in textile products. As well, the conditions laid down in the relevant Community provisions regarding the declaration of the origin of the goods in trade with non-members countries require the creation of a specific code for determining the Community origin of goods.

(4) It is therefore appropriate to draw up a new version of this nomenclature that takes into account those new items as well as changes affecting some codes.

(5) It is preferable to provide for a transition period to allow certain Member States to adapt to the amendments made to the Community legislation regarding the end of the use of numerical codes; it is essential for purposes of simplification for this transition period to end when the provisions revising the rules on the Single Administrative Document come into force.

(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on Statistics relating to the Trading of Goods with Non-Member Countries,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The version valid from 1 June 2005 of the nomenclature of countries and territories for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States is set out in the Annex hereto.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 June 2005.

However, the Member States may use the three-digit numeric codes also shown in the Annex to the Regulation until the provisions revising Annexes 37 and 38 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 come into force (3).

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirely and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 18 May 2005. For the Commission Joaquín ALMUNIA Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 118, 25.5.1995, p. 10. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 313, 28.11.2003, p. 11.

(3) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1.