OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 101
NoL299/46 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.12.72
COUNCILDECISION
of19December1972
layingdowncertaintransitionalmeasuresfortheprogressivestandardisation
oftheimporttermsofMemberStatesasregardsthirdcountries
(72/455/EEC)
flexibleprocedureforthemeasuresenvisaged
by*theMemberStateswithregardtothird
State-tradingcountrieswithwhichtheMember
Statesmaystillnegotiatecommercialagree­
mentsundertheconditionssetoutinTitleIII
ofCouncilDecisionof16December1969:
HASADOPTED THISDECISION :
Article1
AMemberStateenvisaginganyautonomous
amendmentstoitsimporttermswithregard
toathirdcountryorgroupofthirdcountries
shallsoinformtheCommission andtheother
MemberStates.
Article2THECOUNCIL O¥THEEUROPEAN COMMUNI­
TIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingthe
EuropeanEconomicCommunity ,andinpar­
ticularArticle115thereof;
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCom­
mission;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropean
Parliament;
Whereasconditicnsshouldbelaiddown,in
theformoftransitionalmeasures,underwhich
theMemberStatesmaymakeamendmentsto
importtermsasregardsthirdcountries,pending
theestablishment ofautonomous orconven­
tionalcommonimportterms;
WhereasundertheTreatyandtheCouncil
Decisionof16December19691ontheprogres­
sivestandardisation ofagreementsconcerning
commercial relationsbetweenMemberStates
andthirdcountriesandonthenegotiationof
Communityagreements,amendmentsofthis
nature,exceptinexceptionalcaseslaiddown
inTitleIIIofthisDecision,maynotbethe
subjectofnegotiationsoragreementswith
thethirdcountriesinquestion,andtherefore
mayonlybedecidedinanautonomous
manner;
Whereasinordertoavoidautonomousamend­
mentstotheimporttermsoftheMember
Statesconstitutingobstaclestotheimplementa­
tionofthecommoncommercialpolicyand
harmingtheinterestsoftheCommunityorof
oneofitsAlemberStates,suchamendments
shouldbesubjecttopriorconsultationand
ifnecessarytoanauthorisation procedure;
Whereasprovisionshouldbemade,bywayof
exceptionandforalimitedperiod,foramore1.AttherequestoftheCommissionorof
aMemberState,themeasuresreferredtoin
Article1shallbesubjecttopriorconsultation
withtheotherMemberStatesandtheCom­
missionwithintheSelectCommitteesetup
bytheCouncilDecisionof9October19612
concerningaconsultationprocedureinrespect
ofthenegotiationofagreementsconcerning
commercialrelationsbetweenMemberStates
andthirdcountriesandinrespectofchanges
inthestateofliberalisation inrelationtothird
countries .
2.Thepurposeoftheconsultationshallbe
toexaminethepossibilityofestablishing
commonimporttermsforthethirdcountry
andtheproductinquestionand,failingthis,
tocoordinateMemberStates'termstoensure
theproperfunctioningandstrengthening of
theCommonMarketandthegradualintroduc­
tionofcommonimportterms.
OJNoL326,29.12.1969,p.39. 2OJNo71,4.11.1961,p.1273/61.

102 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
3.IfaMemberStateortheCommission
considersthatthemeasuresenvisagedbythe
MemberStateconcernedwouldharmthe
fundamental interestsoftheCommunityor
oneofitsMemberStates,theconsultation
shallincludeanexamination oftheeconomic
andcommercialsituationoftheproducts
involved.
4.IftheCommission doesnotrequest
consultationwithinfiveworkingdaysafter
receivingthenotificationreferredtoinArticle1,
andhasreceivednorequestsforconsultation
fromMemberStatesbytheendofthatperiod,
itshallnotifytheMemberStateconcerned,
whichmaythenputtheproposedmeasureinto
effect.
Inallothercases,theconsultationprocedure
shallcommencewithinfiveworkingdaysfrom
theendoftheperiodprovidedforinthe
precedingparagraph .2.Whenaquotahasbeenexhaustedand
theeconomicrequirements ofaMember
Statecallforadditionalimportsfromthe
countryorcountriesbenefitingfromthe
quota,theMemberStateconcernedmay,in
urgentcases,openadditionalimportfacilities
uptoamaximumof20%ofthequantity
orvalueoftheexhaustedquota.
3.InexceptionalcaseswhenaAdemberState
contemplates importfacilitiesinrespectof
oneofthethirdcountriesreferredtointhe
secondparagraphofArticle3(3)foraproduct
forwhichthereisnoimportquotaorliberal­
isation,Articles1,2and3shallapplytothe
extentthattheproposedimportswouldexceed
bymorethan20%thehighestquantity
orvaluereachedbyimportsofthesameprod­
uctfromthecountryconcernedinanyoneof
thepastthreeyears.
4.Iftheproposedimportsdonotexceed
thelimitsetinparagraph2and3above,the
MemberStateshalllaternotifytheCom­
mission,whichshallinformtheotherMember
States,ofthetotalamountofthelicences
granted;thisnotificationmaybeintheform
ofastatementtobesubmittedhalf-yearly,
containingabreakdownbyproductandby
thirdcountryoforigin.Inthecasecovered
byparagraph3,thesameshallappplyto
authorisations forimportsfromotherthird
countriesgrantedfornon-liberalised products
forwhichnoquotasareopened.
5.AttherequestofanyMemberStateorof
theCommission ,subsequentconsultationunder
thetermsofArticle2shallbeheldonmeasures
takenbyaMemberStateunderthisArticle.Article3
1.Ifafterconsultationnoobjectionhasbeen
raisedbytheotherMemberStatesorbythe
Commission ,theCommission shallforthwith
notifytheMemberStateconcerned,whichmay
putthemeasureintoeffectimmediately .
2Inothercases,theMemberStateconcerned
maynotputtheproposedmeasureintoeffect
untilthreeweeksafterthestartofconsultation .
3.If,withinthisthree-weekperiod,the
Commission submitstotheCouncil,under
Article113oftheTreaty,aproposalmeeting
theobjectionsraised,theproposedmeasure
maynotbeputintoeffectuntiltheCouncil
hasacted.
However,until31December1974,theMember
Stateconcernedmaybywayofexceptionput
theproposedmeasuresintoeffectinrespect
ofoneormoreofthecountriesspecifiedin
Article9oftheCouncilDecisionof16Decem­
ber1969whentheCouncilhasnotactedon
theproposalfromtheCommissionwithinfive
weeksfromthesubmissionoftheproposal.Article5
OncetheopeningofCommunitynegotiations
withathirdcountryhasbeenauthorised,
MemberStatesmaynolongerputtheproposed
measuresintoeffectinrespectofthiscountry
withoutauthorisation bytheCouncil,acting
onaproposalfromtheCommission ,in
accordancewithArticle113oftheTreaty.
PriornotificationasstipulatedinArticle1
shallbeobligatoryinallcasesof-quota
increasesormeasuresofthekindreferredtoin
Article4(2)and(3).Priorauthorisation by
theCouncilshallbenecessaryonlyifobjections
areraisedbyaMemberorbytheCommission
duringanyconsultationthatmayberequested
withintheperiodstipulatedinArticle2(3).Article4
1.Inurgentcases,liberalisation maybe
withdrawnoraquotaabolishedorreduced
withoutpriorconsultation .

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 103
Article7
TheCouncilDecisionof9October1961shall
remainvalidinsofarasitdoesnotconflictwith
thisDecision.Priornotificationshallalsobeobligatoryfor
thewithdrawalofliberalisation ortheabolition
orreductionofquotas.However,thesemeasures
maybetakenwithoutpriorauthorisation by
theCouncil.Ifobjectionsareraisedbya
MemberStateorbytheCommissionduring
anysubsequentconsultation heldunder
Article2,theCommission shallsubmita
proposaltotheCouncilinaccordancewith
Article113oftheTreaty.Article8
Article6ThisDecisionisaddressedtotheMember
States.
DoneatBrussels,19December1972.AnyamendmentstothisDecisionnecessaryto
completestandardisation ofMemberStates'
importtermsshallbeadoptednotlaterthan
31December1974inaccordance withthe
procedurelaiddowninArticle113ofthe
Treaty.FortheCouncil
ThePresident
T.WESTERTERP