Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION on administering of the double-checking system without quantitative limits in respect of the export of certain steel products from the Republic of Moldova to the European Community

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The Republic of Moldova asked to conclude an Agreement setting up a double-checking system without quantitative limitations in order to monitor the exports into the European Community of certain steel product. The aim of the double-checking system is to improve transparency and to avoid possible diversions of trade. It is without prejudice to the application of the relevant provisions of the agreements on trade and trade-related matters, in particular those relating to anti-dumping and safeguard measures.

The system relies on the issuance for each transaction of an export document and of an import document.

The export document is issued by the authorities of the country of the exporting company to the exporter, upon request of the exporter and after the fulfilment of the necessary conditions imposed by those authorities, notably those conditions included in the international agreement. This export document is then given to the EU importer.

To be able to import products covered by the agreement, the EU importer must obtain from relevant EU authorities an import document. This document is released automatically, upon presentation of documents/information/evidence as required by the EU internal implementing legislation, including the original of the export document.

The double-checking system would apply for the period until 31 December 2006. It will be established by means of an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters.

The Community signed the Agreement and this Regulation lays down the implementing provisions.

2004/0147 (ACC)

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION on administering of the double-checking system without quantitative limits in respect of the export of certain steel products from the Republic of Moldova to the European Community

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission [1],

[1] OJ C , , p. .

Whereas:

(1) The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part [2], entered into force on 1 July 1998.

[2] OJ L 181, 24.6.1998, p. 3.

(2) The situation relating to imports of certain steel products from the Republic of Moldova to the European Community has been the subject of thorough examination and, on the basis of relevant information supplied to them, the Parties have concluded an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters [3] which establishes a double-checking system without quantitative limits for the period between the date of entry into force of this Regulation and 31 December 2006, unless both Parties agree to terminate the system earlier.

[3] See p. .....of this OJ.

(3) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission [4],

[4] OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1. For the period running from the date on which this Regulation enters into force to 31 December 2006, in accordance with the provisions of the above mentioned Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters, imports into the European Community of certain steel products originating in the Republic of Moldova, as listed in Appendix I, shall be subject to the presentation of a surveillance document conforming to the model shown in Appendix II issued by the authorities in the European Community.

2. For the period running from the date on which this Regulation enters into force to 31 December 2006, imports into the Community of the steel products originating in the Republic of Moldova and listed in Appendix I shall, in addition, be subject to the issue of an export document issued by the competent Moldovan authorities. The export document shall conform to the model shown in Appendix III. It shall be valid for exports throughout the customs territory of the European Community. In order to obtain the surveillance document referred to in paragraph 1, the importer must present the original of the export document fully completed. In any case, the importer must present the original of the export document not later than 31 March of the year following that in which the goods covered by the document were shipped.

3. The classification of the products covered by this Regulation is based on the tariff and statistical nomenclature of the European Community (hereinafter called the "CN"). The origin of the products covered by this Regulation shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the European Community.

4. The competent authorities of the European Community shall inform the Republic of Moldova of any changes in the CN in respect of products covered by this Regulation before their date of entry into force in the European Community.

5. Goods shipped before the entry into force of this Regulation shall be excluded from the scope of this Regulation. Shipment is considered to have taken place on the date of loading on to the exporting means of transport.

Article 2

1. The surveillance document referred to in Article 1 shall be issued automatically by the competent authority in the Member States, without charge for any quantities requested, within five working days of presentation of an application by any European Community importer, wherever established in the European Community. This application shall be deemed to have been received by the competent national authority no later than three working days after submission, unless it is proven otherwise.

2. A surveillance document issued by one of the competent national authorities listed in Appendix IV shall be valid throughout the European Community.

3. The importer's application for a surveillance document shall include the following elements:

(a) the name and full address of the applicant (including telephone and telefax numbers, and possible identification number used by the competent national authorities) and VAT registration number, if subject to VAT;

(b) if applicable, the name and full address of the declaring person or representative of the applicant (including telephone and fax numbers);

(c) the full name and address of the exporter;

(d) the exact description of the goods, including:

- their trade name,

- the CN code(s),

- the country of origin,

- the country of consignment;

(e) the net weight, expressed in kg and also quantity in the unit prescribed where other than net weight, by combined nomenclature heading;

(f) the c.i.f. value of the goods in euros at the European Community frontier by combined nomenclature heading;

(g) whether the products concerned are seconds or of substandard quality [5];

[5] Under the criteria given in the Commission communication concerning identification criteria of non-prime steel products from third countries applied by customs services of Member States (OJ C 180, 11.7.1991, p. 4.).

(h) the proposed period and place of customs clearance;

(i) whether the application is a repeat of a previous application concerning the same contract;

(j) the following declaration, daed and signed by the applicant with the transcription of his name in capital letters:

"I, the undersigned, certify that the information provided in this application is true and given in good faith, and that I am established in the Community."

The importer shall also submit a copy of the contract of sale or purchase, the pro forma invoice and/or, in cases where the goods are not directly purchased in the country of production, a certificate of production issued by the producing steel mill.

4. Surveillance documents may be used only for such time as arrangements for the liberalisation of imports remain in force in respect of the transactions concerned. Without prejudice to possible changes in the import regulations in force or decisions taken in the framework of an agreement or the management of a quota:

-the period of validity of the surveillance document is hereby fixed at four months,

-unused or partly used surveillance documents may be renewed for an equal period.

5. The importer shall return surveillance documents to the issuing authority at the end of their period of validity.

Article 3

1. A finding that the unit price at which the transaction is effected exceeds that indicated in the import document by less than 5% or that the total value or quantity of the products presented for import exceeds the value or quantity given in the import document by less than 5% shall not preclude the release for free circulation of the products in question.

2. Applications for import documents and the documents themselves shall be confidential. They shall be restricted to the competent authorities and the applicant.

Article 4

1. Within the first 10 days of each month, the Member States shall communicate to the Commission:

details of the quantities and values (calculated in euros) for which import documents were issued during the preceding month;

details of imports during the month preceding the month referred to in (a).

The information provided by Member States shall be broken down by product, CN code and by country.

2. The Member States shall give notification of any anomalies or cases of fraud which they discover and, where relevant, the basis on which they have refused to grant an import document.

Article 5

Any notices to be given hereunder shall be given to the Commission and shall be communicated electronically within the integrated network set up for this purpose, unless for imperative technical reasons it is necessary to use other means of communication temporarily.

Article 6 Committee

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of the representatives of the Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 7 Final provisions

Amendments to the Appendices which may be necessary to take into account modifications to the Annex or Appendices attached to the Agreement in the Form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Republic of Moldova, or amendments made to European Community rules on statistics, customs arrangements, common rules for imports or import surveillance, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6(2).

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 15th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

ANNEX I

List of products subject to double-checking without quantitative limits

Moldova

7202 7301

7203 7303

7206 7304

7207 7305

7208 7306

7209 7307

7210 7312

7211

7212

7213

7214

7215

7216

7217

7218

7219

7220

7221

7222

7223

7224

7225

7226

7227

7228

7229

ANNEX II

>TABLE POSITION>

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Extension pages to be attached hereto

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>TABLE POSITION>

Extension pages to be attached hereto

ANNEX III

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX IV

LISTA DE LAS AUTORIDADES NACIONALES COMPETENTES

SEZNAM P?ÍSLUSNÝCH VNITROSTÁTNÍCH ORGÁN?

LISTE OVER KOMPETENTE NATIONALE MYNDIGHEDER

LISTE DER ZUSTÄNDIGEN BEHÖRDEN DER MITGLIEDSTAATEN

PÄDEVATE RIIKLIKE ASUTUSTE NIMEKIRI

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LIST OF THE COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

LISTE DES AUTORITES NATIONALES COMPETENTES

ELENCO DELLE COMPETENTI AUTORITA NAZIONALI

VALSTU KOMPETENTO IESTAU SARAKSTS

ATSAKING? NACIONALINI? INSTITUCIJ? S?RASAS

AZ ILLETÉKES NEMZETI HATÓSÁGOK LISTÁJA

LISTA TA' L-AWTORITAJIET KOMPETENTI NAZZJONALI

LIJST VAN BEVOEGDE NATIONALE INSTANTIES

LISTA WLA?CIWYCH ORGANÓW KRAJOWYCH

LISTA DAS AUTORIDADES NACIONAIS COMPETENTES

ZOZNAM PRÍSLUSNÝCH STÁTNYCH ORGÁNOV

SEZNAM PRISTOJNIH NACIONALNIH ORGANOV

LUETTELO TOIMIVALTAISISTA KANSALLISISTA VIRANOMAISISTA

FÖRTECKNING ÖVER BEHÖRIGA NATIONELLA MYNDIGHETER

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Service public fédéral économie, PME, Classes

moyennes & énergie

Administration du potentiel économique

Politiques d'accès aux marchés, Services Licences

Rue Général Leman 60

B-1040 Bruxelles

Fax: + 32-2-230 83 22 // EESTI

Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium

Harju 11

EE-15072 Tallinn

Fax: + 372-6313 660

Federale Overheidsdienst Economie, KMO,

Middenstand & Energie

Bestuur Economisch Potentieel

Markttoegangsbeleid, Dienst Vergunningen

Generaal Lemanstraat 60

B-1040 Brussel

Fax: + 32-2-230 83 22 // ?????

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GR-105 63 ?????

Fax : + 301-328 60 94

ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA

Ministerstvo pr?myslu a obchodu

Licen?ní správa

Na Frantisku 32

CZ-110 15 Praha 1

Fax: + 420-22421 21 33 // ESPAÑA

Ministerio de Economía

Secretaría General de Comercio Exterior

Subdirección General de Productos Industriales

Paseo de la Castellana 162

E- 28046 Madrid

Fax: + 34-1-349 38 31

DANMARK

Erhvervs- og Boligstyrelsen

Økonomi- og Erhvervsministeriet

Vejlsøvej 29

DK-8600 Silkeborg

Fax: + 45-35-46 64 01 // France

SETICE

8, rue de la Tour-des-Dames

F-75436 Paris Cedex 09

Fax: + 33-1-55 07 46 69

DEUTSCHLAND

Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle,

(BAFA)

Frankfurter Strasse 29-35

D-65760 Eschborn 1

Fax: + 49-61-96 9 42 26 // IRELAND

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Import/ Export Licensing, Block C

Earlsfort Centre

Hatch Street

IE-Dublin 2

Fax: + 353-1-631 25 62

ITALIA

Ministero delle Attivita Produttive

Direzione generale per la politica commerciale e per la gestione del regime degli scambi

Viale America 341

I-00144 Roma

Fax: +39-6-59 93 22 35 / 59 93 26 36 // ÖSTERREICH

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit

Aussenwirtschaftsadministration

Abteilung C2/2

Stubenring 1

A-1011 Wien

Fax: + 43-1-7 11 00/ 83 86

KYPROS

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???????? ???????v

?????? ??????? ?????? ?????????/????????

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CY-1421 ??v?????

???: + 357-22-37 51 20 // POLSKA

Ministerstwo Gospodarki, Pracy i Polityki

Spo?ecznej

Plac Trzech Krzy?y 3/5

PL- 00-507 Warszawa

Fax: + 48-22-693 40 21 / 693 40 22

LATVIJA

Latvijas Republikas Ekonomikas ministrija

Br?v?bas iela 55

LV - 1519 R?ga

Fax: + 371-728 08 82 // PORTUGAL

Ministério das Finanças

Direcção Geral das Alfândegas e dos Impostos

Especiais sobre o Consumo

Rua Terreiro do Trigo, Edifício da Alfândega de

Lisboa

PT- 1140-060 Lisboa

Fax: + 351-218 814 261

LIETUVA

Lietuvos Respublikos ?kio ministerija

Prekybos departamentas

Gedimino pr. 38/2

LT- 01104 Vilnius

Fax: + 370-5-26 23 974 // SLOVENIJA

Ministrstvo za gospodarstvo

Podro?je ekonomskih odnosov s tujino

Kotnikova 5

SI-1000 Ljubljana

Fax: + 386-1-478 36 11

LUXEMBOURG

Ministère des affaires étrangères

Office des licences

BP 113

L-2011 Luxembourg

Fax: + 352-46 61 38 // SLOVENSKÁ REPUBLIKA

Ministerstvo hospodárstva SR

Odbor licencií

Mierová 19

SK-827 15 Bratislava 212

Fax: + 421-2-43 42 39 19

MAGYARORSZÁG

Magyar Kereskedelmi Engedélyezési Hivatal

Margit krt. 85.

HU-1024 Budapest

Fax: + 36-1-336 73 02 // SUOMI

Tullihallitus

PL 512

FIN-00101 Helsinki

Telekopio: + 358-20-492 28 52

MALTA

Divi?joni ghall-Kummer?

Servizzi Kummer?jali

Lascaris

MT-Valletta CMR02

Fax: + 356-25-69 02 99 // SVERIGE

Kommerskollegium

Box 6803

S-11386 Stockholm

Fax: + 46-8-30 67 59

NEDERLAND

Belastingdienst/Douane centrale dienst voor in- en

uitvoer

Postbus 30003, Engelse Kamp 2

NL-9700 RD Groningen

Fax : + 31-50-523 23 41 // UNITED KINGDOM

Department of Trade and Industry

Import Licensing Branch

Queensway House - West Precinct

Billingham

UK-TS23 2NF

Fax: + 44-1642-36 42 69