ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)303
Vol.1978/0109

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITI
COM(78)303 final
Brussels,13July1978
Proposalfora
COUNCILREGULATION (EEC),
amendingRegulation (EEC)No1544/69onthetarifftreatment
applicabletogoodscontainedintravellers'personalluggage
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0M(78)303final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
y
Theintroduction oftheEuropeanunitofaccountinthetarifffieldfrom
1January1979meansthatitisnecessarytoupdatetheprovisionsof
CouncilRegulation (EEC)No1544/69of23July1959onthetariffapplicable-
togoodscontainedintravellers' personalluggage(1).
Article 1(1)oftheRegulationprovidesthatgoodscontainedintravellers'
personalluggageshallbeexemptfromcommoncustomsdutiesiftheimported
goodshavenocommercial character andtheirtotalvaluedoesnotexceed
twenty-five unitsofaccountperperson.Article 1(2)authorizes Member' -
Statestoreducethisexemptiontotenunitsofaccountfortravellers under
fifteenyearsold.
Naturally,adjustingthesesumsshouldnothavetheeffectofreducingthe
* ♦realvalueinanyoftheMemberStatesofthegoodshithertoeligiblefor
exemption .■
Itisalsoimportanttotaketheopportunity offeredbythisadjustment to
takeaccountofcertainmeasuresrecommended byspecialized international
bodies,inparticular thosecontainedinAnnexF3oftheInternational
Convention onthesimplification andharmonization ofcustomsprocedures,
oftheCustomsCooperation CouncilandtowhichtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity
anditsMemberStatesareparties(i.e.duty-freeconcessions fortravellers
ongoodsuptoatotalvalueofUS650).
Toachievethesetwinaims,theCommission proposes,onthebasisofthe
currentdefinitionoftheEuropeanunitofaccount,toreplacethefigure
oftwenty-five unitsofaccountwithfortyEuropeanunitsofaccount,and
thefigureoftenunitsofaccountwithtwentyEuropeanunitsofaccount.
(1)0JNoL191-5.8.1969,p.1

Obviously,asispointedoutinthethirdrecitaltoRegulation (EEC)No
1544/69,relieffromcommoncustomsdutiescoverspassengertrafficonly
betweenthirdcountries andtheCommunity.Itisnotavailabletopersons
travelling betweenMemberStates;thistrafficiscoveredbytaxexemption
measuresdefinedbytheCouncilinDirective 69/169/EECof28May1969(1)
of12June1972(2).
\
Inordertopreventanyfalseinterpretation oftheprovisions ofRegulatii
(EEC)No1544/69,therefore,itisproposedtospecifyinArticle 1that
exemptionisavailableonlytotravellers comingdirectlyfromnon-member
countries .
ThisproposalisbasedonArticle28oftheEECTreaty,anddoesnotin
theoryrequire.the opinionoftheEuropeanParliament .Givenitscontent,
however,,theCommission ,considersitadvisabletoseektheopinionofthe
Parliament andtheEconomic andSocialCommittee .
(1)OJNoL133,4.6.1969,p.6
(2)OJNoL139,17.6.1972,p.28

Proposal
fora
CouncilRegulation
amending Angulation (EEC)No1544/69onthetariff
treatmentapplicable togoodscontainedintravellers'
personalluggage
X-
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
andinparticularArticle28thereof.
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
WhereasArticle 1(1)ofCouncilRegulation (EEC)No1544/69of23July1969
onthetarifftreatmentapplicable togoodscontainedintravellers' personal
luggage(1)providesthatgoodscontainedintravellers'-personaIluggage
shallbeexemptfromcommoncustomsdutiesiftheimportedgoodshaveno
commercial character; -
Whereasthetotalvalueofthegoodscoveredbytheexemption mustnotexceed
twenty-five unitsofaccountperperson;whereasArticle 1(2)ofRegulat-ion
(EEC)No1544/69allowsMemberStatestoreducethisexemptiontotenunits
ofaccountfortravellers underfifteenyearsold;
Whereaswitheffectfrom1January1979sumsexpressedinunitsofaccountin
a.ctsadoptedbytheinstitutions oftheEuropeanCommunities oncustomsmatters
mustbeexpressedinEuropeanunitsofaccount;
(1)OJNoL191,5.8.1969,p.1

Whereasthenecessaryadaptation shouldnothavetheeffectofreducingthe
amountinnationalcurrencyresultingfromtheconversionoftheamounts
currentlyeligibleforexemption;
Whereastheopportunity offeredbythisadaptation shouldalsobeused•
totakeaccountofthemeasuresforthebenefitoftravellers recommended by
thespecialized international organizations ,andinparticular thosecontained
inAnnexF3ofthe'International Conventionforthesimplification andharmon­
izationofcustomsprocedures,concludedundertheauspicesoftheCustoms
Cooperation Council,towhichtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity anditsMember
StatesareContracting Parties;
Whereasbothaimscanbeachievedbysettingtheamountoftheexemption
referredtoinArticle 1(1)ofRegulation (EEC)No1544/69atfortyEuropean
unitsofaccountandtheamountreferredtoinArticle 1(2)attwentyunits
ofaccount; •
Whereas,however,inordertopreventpossiblefalseinterpretation ,it
mustbeexpresslystatedthatrelieffromcommoncustomsdutyisavailableonly
totravellers comingdirectlyfromathirdcountry,
HASADOPTEDTHISREGULATION :
y
Article1
ThetextofArticle 1(1)ofRegulation (EEC)No1544/69isherebyamended
asfollows: - 1
1.Paragraph 1Shallread:
"Goodscontainedinthepersonalluggageoftravellers comingdirectly
fromthirdcountriesshallbeexemptfromcommoncustomsdutiesifthe
importedgoodshavenocommercial character andthetotalvalueofthe
goodsdoesnotexceedfortyEuropeanunitsofaccountperperson".

-3-
2.Paragraph 2shallread:
"MemberStatesmayreducethisexemptiontotwentyEuropeanunitsof
accountfortravellers underfifteenyearsold".
3.Inparagraph .3,fortwenty-fiveunitsofaccount-read"fortyEuropean
unitsofaccount".
Article2 -
enterintoforceon1January1979.
bebindinginitsentiretyanddirectlyapplicable
DoneatBrussels,
FortheCouncil,
'
ThePresidentThisRegulationshall
ThisRegulationshall
inallMemberStates.