ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)8
Vol.1979/0002

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)8final
Brussels-9March1979*
MULTIANNUALPROGRAMME FORTHE
ATTAINMENT OFTHECUSTOMSUNION
COM(79)8final

CONTENTS
•* - •
,. 'Pages - '.
Résumé ' ' -
«
Introduct ion
A.General remarks
B.Communication onthe state ofthe customs union and the attitude
ofthe Community institutions and interested parties .
I.THE MULTIANNUAL .PROGRAMME
II.PRIORITIES FOR 19791
5
A.Basic objectives
B.The commitment procedure 9
A.Proposals already examined .orinthe first stages ofexamination
andwhich could therefore beadopted inthefirst half of1979 11
B.Proposals not yetexamined ,orintheearly Stages ofexamination , •
butwhich should beadopted by1January 1980 - 14
C.Proposals tobetransmitted tptheCouncil in1979 ^
D.Other measures 17

RESUME
Following the first steps taken towards theconsolidation ofthecustoms union ,
inparticular theCommission 'scommunication of15June 1977 onthe state ofthe
customs union ,itisnecessary topresent totheEuropean Parliament ,theEconomic
andSocial Committee andthe Council amultiannual programme fortheattainment
ofthe customs union .
This programme lays down the .basic objectives atwhich theCommunity should aim
inestablishing atrue customs union .
For theattainment ofthose objectives ,itisproposed toinstitute aprocedure
ofannual commitments whereby theCommission inNovember every year ,would present
arecord ofthepreceding year 'sachievements ,together -with thepriorities for
the following year ,setting out specific commitments .Thepriorities for1979 form
thesecond part ofthis document ,which contains proposals tobeadopted bythe
Council during theyear andother measures tobetaken inorder toachieve the
customs union .

Introduction
GENERAL REMARKS
This programme fortheattainment oftheCustoms Union ispart ofthe
stated policy ofworking towards thecreation of .asingle market inall its
aspects .Themeasures advocated bytheCommission under theprogramme are
designed tocomplete andconsolidate thecustoms union ,theinstruments of
which donot simply express acommon customs policy but atthe same time
make itpossible toimplement other common policies ,thereby helping to
eliminate progressively theformalities andcontrols inintra-Community trade .
The measures which gotomake upthis programme should ,byproviding more reliabU
external protect-ion fortheEuropean economy andstreamlining internal trade ,
put the internal market onafirm footing .Theprogramme sets out various
proposals forgiving practical effect toCommunity preference andaiding
development ofthe free movement ofgoods . ,
Such aprogramme ,then ,isclosely linked with theCommunity policy forthe
establishment ofaneconomic andmonetary union asadopted bytheCommunity
institutions ,intheform ofamultiannual programme tobeachieved inyearly
stages .The link isconfirmed bytheparallel nature ofthepriorities proposed
for1979 andtheproposals oncustoms union putforward inthe1979 EMUprogramme
This programme for the attainment ofthe customs union isthe fruit of -delibe­
rations anddiscussions inCommunity institutions andnational administrations
andwith thetrade andindustrial interests affected ,following theCommission
ν . .
communication of15June 1977onthe state ofcustoms union (1).
(1)COM (77)210 final

-2-
B. .COMMUNICATION ONTHE STATE OFTHE CUSTOMS UNION AND THE ATTITUDE OFTHE
COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS AND INTERESTED PARTIES
1.The Commission Communication onthe state ofthe customs union emphasized
the need toimprove the free movement ofgoods within theCommunity and to
, I
adopt acomplete and coherent setofCommunity customs rules applicable in
trade with non-member countries .
2.AConference organized bytheCommission inDecember 1977 ,which brought
together representatives oftheCommunity institutions /national administra­
tions ,various economic sectors andusers ,showed (1)theoverwhelming
importance attached totheCommission 'sguidelines .
' , \
3.inthe face ofthepresent difficulties inworld trade andtheneed for
concrete achievements capable ofcontributing tothesuccess ofthestrategy
laid down bytheCommunity toextricate itself from thecrisis ,theEconomic
and Social Committee ,inexamining theCommission Communication onthe state
ofthe customs union ,drew attention initsOpinion of30March 1978 (2).to
theimportance ofproblems raised andthe urgent need todraw upaspecific
programme fortheattainment ofthe customs union .
4.Furthermore ,thepolitical ,economic andpsychological importance ofthe
measures aimed atimproving the functioning oftheCustoms Union andthe
need todraw upamult iannual programme ,tobeperiodically updated ,were
emphasized inthereport presented bytheEuropean Parliament 'sCommittee
onEconomic andMonetary Affairs ,which wasfollowed bytheResolution on
the "development ofthe customs union andofthe internal market "adopted
t
bytheParliament oh12April 1978 (3).The latter reaffirmed itsposition
inasecond Resolution on5July 1978(4 ),stressing that the unsact isfactory
operation oftrade inintra-Community traffic washaving anadverse effect
ontheproductivity and competitiveness ofCommunity industry and was
undermining theefforts tobring about common structural and employment
policies . *
(1)Record oftheConference on"TheCustoms Union :today andtomorrow ",
held on6and 7December 1977. '
(2)Opinion ,OJNoC181 ,31.7.1978 ■.■>
(3)Resolution ,OJNoC108,8.5.1978
Report oftheCommittee onEconomic andMonetary Affairs presented by
MrNyborg (Doc .557/77)
(4)OJNoC182,31.7.1978
•■•/•••
:

-3-
5..TheEuropean Council has also stated ontwooccasions -inCopenhagen and
Bremen -that theCommunity 'scontinuing duty was toguarantee and improve the
common market bycontinuing toeliminate trade barriers anddistorsions of
compet ition . ' ,
6.Recently theCouncil toopledged ,via itsPresident ,togive priority tothe
Commission proposals relating totherealization ofthe customs union (1,2)
Inaddition ,theCommission attitudes have been discussed ingreat detail
with the heads ofthenational customs administrations ,whoplay akey part
inthe creation ofthe customs union since the latter ,far from being solely
amatter ofCommunity legislation ,requires each administration tomake
structural changes andadopt anew wayofthinking ;henceforth customs activities
must reflect solidarity among thepartners .
8.Thetrade associations represented ontheAdvisory Committee onCustoms Matters
have stated that they too areprepared toplay their part indeveloping the
customs union . - ' -
ί
Ontheeve ofelections totheEuropean Parliament byuniversal suffrage the
Community ought to-make renewed efforts togive greater substance to
European citizenship and topromote awareness ofbelonging toa
community .Inthis context ,doing away with intra-Community frontiers ,asplaces
where formalities and controls must becomplied with ,isparticularly important .
10.Theprospect offurther enlargement oftheCommunity isyetanother incentive
tospeed uptheestablishment ofthe customs union ,which atpresent still
retains many ofthecharacteristics ofafree-trade area .
11.The Commission considers itdesirable toredefine the key aspects ofthe
problems ofconsolidating thecustoms union from thepoint ofview ofmaking
theinternal market more effective .Itfeels obliged toexplicitly howfar
harmonization ofthemain .points ofthecustoms procedures cangotoxards
(1)Debates oftheEuropean Parliament ,14.9.1978 -oral question (Doc .283/78)
(2)Debates oftheEuropean Parliament ,8.1.1979 -oral question (Doc .513/78)
•••/•••

4
providing theCommunity with abasis from which todevelop theinternal market ,
itbeing very important forthe latter tobeseen asproviding Europe 's
economy with thepositive results ofan'effective Community preference and
allowing the "scope todevelop the free movement ofgoods .

I.THE MULTIANNUAL PROGRAMME
BASIC OBJECTIVES
1.Article 9(1)oftheTreaty provides that :The Community shall bebased .
upon .acustoms union Theultimate objective ofthat customs union ,
istocreate the conditions onwhich the fusion ofthe national markets
into asingle market andtheelimination ofinternal frontiers depend .
These conditions entail more than the mere establishment ofaCommon
Customs Tariff and anumber ofbasic principles governing the application
ofsuch atariff .They must begiven practical effect via theestablishment
ofacomplete ,uniform andeffective body oflegislation ,designed toensure
the homogeneity oftrade arrangements between the Community andnon-member
countries andthereby tocreate the conditions required forgoods tobeable
tomove within theCommunity under the same conditions aswithin domestic
markets . - ~ -
2.Theliberalization ofintra-Communi tytrade ,while depending very .much on
thehomogeneity ofthe rules inforce atexternal frontiers and their being
applied inauniform manner -which should befacilitated bythe *introduction
ofCommunity procedures -isnaturally linked toprogress achieved inother
fields ,particularly inmatters oftaxation ,currency ,transport andstatistics
(1).
TheCommission feels ,however ,that even intheabsence ofsubstantial progress
onthese matters ,customs measures maycontribute greatly tothesimplification
oftheformalities andcontrols applied inintra-Community trade ,togreater
fluidity oftrade and toaccentuating Community preference .
3.While itisvery important that formalities andcontrols inintra-Community
,trade beeliminated ,itmust notbeforgotten that theEuropean citizen
judges theprogress achieved onintegration bythecontrols andformalities
which hesees applied when hetravels within theCommunity orwhen hesends
orreceives non-commercial parcels .
(1)Itshould beremembered that simplified procedures could be "introduced in
thefield oftaxation asannounced bytheCommission initsprogramme for
1975 (doc.COM (75)391final ).Some progress inthis area ispossible fol­
lowing theadoption ofthe6thdirective onVAT.Thesame will betrue for
currency matters ,following theentry into force oftheEuropean Monetary
System . \

-6-
TheCommission therefore considers that afresh impetus should begiven to
deal with all theproblems airising inconnection with relief from duty on
qoods carried bytravellers orcontained inparcels sent toindividuals .
Full harmonization ofthe customs rules must beachieved before the barriers
between national markets can befully dismantled and istherefore essential
for the development ofeconomic andmonetary union .The harmonized rules
must beasreliable aseach oftheoldnational systems ,given thenewdemands
arising from thefacts oflife inacommon market ,andwould inparticular permit
greater uniformity asregards establishment oftheCommunity 'sown resources .
Theonly way toensure that customs legislation isuniform andreliable isto
seethat binding measures areenacted which areobligatory anddirectly applicable
within theMember States ,andtherefore offer legal guarantees forthe individual .
Particular attention must therefore bepaid tothe form ofthe legal act tobeadopted
forestablishing this Community customs legislation .Asaresult ofpast
experience ,particularly inthefield ofthe "economic "customs procedures ,
theCommission iscategorically infavour ofregulations .New line directives
certainly confer obligations onMember States ,butnormally require intermediate
national legislation inorder toproduce legal consequences forindividuals .This
procedure istime-consuming ;moreover ,directives donotadequately provide the
legal certainty anduniformity ofCommunity lawnecessary fortheproper functioning
oftheCommon Market .These aims canbeachieved only bytheuseofregulations .
Theestablishment ofabody ofCommunity customs lawinevitably raises the
problem ofharmonization ofpenalties andorganization oflegal protection for
those liable tosuch penalties .
Ifdisparities asregards penalties persist ,this may notonly give rise to
unequal treatment oreven deflection oftrade ,butmay also seriously affect the
operation ofcustoms arrangements andprocedures andjeopardize theeffectiveness
ofcommon policy measures whose implementation isbased onthose arrangements and
procedures .Similarly ,thenational systems currently inforce should berecon­
sidered with aview tofinding solutions appropriate tothenewdimension

-7-
andspecificneedsoftheCommunity.Unityoflegislation ,alsomakesitnecessary
tointroducethesameleveloflegalprotectionthroughouttheCommunity.
»
7.AmongotherqualitieswhichCommunitylegislation mustpossessareclarityand
transparency . *
Itisnecessarytoensurethatthedesiretobringthedecision-making process
toasucessfulconclusiondoesnotfeadtotheadoptionofvagueorambiguous
formulations,whichwillbeboundtogiverisetodifferences ofinterpretation ,
andhencefurtherdisparities,.betweenMemberStates.
Theestablishment ofuniformruleswhich,bytheirnature,willhavetoundergo
frequentamendments,inevitablygivesrisetotheproblemoftheircodification,
withoutwhichitwillbedifficulttoconsulttheprovisions .Thecodification
mustinitiallytaketheformofrecastingintoabasicregulationandasingle
implementing regulationtheprovisionsrelatingtoagivensectorwhicharetobe
foundscatteredindifferentnumbersof.theOfficialJournal.Thenext
stepistoundertakecodification proper,entailingabasic,textofageneral
nature(customscode)dealingsystematically andonthebasisofuniform
formulations andconceptswithallcustomsarrangements andprocedures,this
basictextbeingsupplemented wherenecessarybyimplementing provisions.
8.Theestablishment ofthecustomsunioninevitablybringsthenationalcustoms
administrations facetofacewiththeproblemofadaptingtheirstructures,
justasitposestheproblemoftheCommunitymachineryneededforSucha
uniontooperateproperly.Whilethenationaladministrations arestill
givingthoughttothesematters,itcanbestatedhereandnowthataction
inthecustomsfieldisnolongermotivatedsolelybynationalconsiderations
butisincreasingly 'takenwithdueconsideration fortheinterestsofpartner
StatesorCommunityinterestsproper.

-8-
Strengthening theCommunity element incustoms matters raises not
only theproblem ofteaching Community law intheframework ofvocational
training but also that ofwide-ranging cooperation between national administrations
andthe Commission 'sdepartments .The development ofthis cooperation atall
xlevels must beoneofthemajor concerns intheyears ahead .
While there isalready some cooperation between theMember States ,cooperation
between theCommission departments andnational administrations istill only in
itsearly stages .Theexperience ofthepast fewmonths regarding themeasures
adopted concerning textile products and steel ,however ,shows howmuch the
effectiveness ofameasure and itshomogeneous implementation throughout the
Community depends onclose cooperation between theCommission and theMember
States 'authorities .Theregular contacts introduced inthis context between
the Commission's' departments andnational customs experts have turned out
tobeextremely fruitful and have already enabled afair number ofpractical
problems toberesotved .These encouraging examples undoubtedly deserve to
beapplied onawider scale beyond thestrictly sectoral framework towhich they
are still confined atpresent . t
With regard tothe institutional structure ofthe customs union ,the cumbersome
nature oftheprocedures isaserious impediment totherapid adaptation
ofexisting instruments which isrequired tomeet unforeseen situations .
Asolution tothese problems canbe ,found only inmaking wider useofthedelegation
ofpowers ,asprovided for inArticle 155oftheTreaty .Thepowers which the
Commission already has inthis respect must beextended toother matters ,including
temporary derogations from theapplication ofCommon Customs Tariff duties .While
themain objective ofsuch tariff measures istoenable theCommunity toreact to
unforeseen shortages ,theprocedures forgiving effect tosuch measures generally
take more than sixmonths before final publication intheOfficial Journal .
./

Itisalsonecessarytq.makethemostoftheCommunity'sweightandsizein
ordertostrengthenitsimageininternational meetingsdealingwithcustoms
matters.Tothisend,Communityparticipation ininternational organizations
mustbeimprovedandcommonpositions beworkedoutmorerapidlyandmore
effectively .
COMMITMENT PROCEDURE
• /
TheCommission wonderedwhetheritwouldbepossibletodrawupinadvance
adetailedtimetableforimplementing themultiannual programme,butthoughtit
better,onreflection,torejectthisideasothatitwouldhavesomeflexibility
inselectingitspriorities-thelatterbeingLikelytochangewitheconomic <
developments -andsothatitwouldbeabletoadjustperiodically themeasures
aimedatunifyinginternalmarketinthenlightofprogressmadeinthemeantime
inareasotherthancustomsmatters.
ThisiswhytheCommission haschosentoestablish byyearacoherentsetofprio­
ritiesdesignedtoadvancethecreationfortheconstruction ofatruecustoms
union. .
TheCommission proposestotakestockinNovemberofeachyearoftheresults
obtainedandeffortsmadeduringthepreviousyearascegardsachievement ofthe
overallobjectives andtopresenttheprioritiesforthefollowingyear,with
specificcommitments .
TheCommissionwillnot,however,confineitselfsolelytothepriorities set
outundertheaboveprocedure,sinceitwillbecontinuingitsactivities in
thoseareaswhereitiscompetenteitherundertheprovisionsoftheTreatyorby
virtueofpowersdelegatedbytheCouncil,forinstancewithregardtoadministra­
tionandnegotiation .
Thebulkofthesemeasureswillbeincorporated eachyearinthelistof-.
priorities tobepresented .This,ralsoappliestocertainexecutive measures
whiththeCommission intendstointroduceinconjunction withthenational ,
authorities andwhichareneededinordertostrengthen theintercohesionof
thecustomsunionandimprovetradingconditions onthebasisofincreased mu­
tualtrust.

-10-
Thepriorities for1979 are "set out inPart IIofthis communication .
The work ofestablishing these priorities was done ,bytheCommission and the
Heads ofthe Customs Administrations ofthe Member States inclose collaboration .

II.PRIORITIES FOR 1979
Inaccordance with thecommitment procedure outlined above ,theCommission ,
"inline with theMemorandum annexed tothe 1979 Programme Address ,sets
out inthefollowing pages alist ofpriority measures for -1979 ,.which fall
"into three distinct categories : '
A»Proposals already examined orinthefinal stages ofexamination andwhich
could therefore beadopted inthefirst half of1979 ' .
B.Proposals not yetexamined ,orintheearly stages ofexamination ,butwhich
should beadopted by 1January 1980
#
C.Proposals tobetransmitted totheCouncil in1979 .
Inaddition ,further measures representing either acontinuation ofcurrent activi
ties ,particularly asregards theadministration ofexisting regulations ,orovera
activities which theCommission wishes toundertake with theaim ofstrengthening
thecustoms union ,are indicated insection Dofthis chapter ,togive acoherent
picture ofall theCommunity 'sactivities inthe customs field .
Proposals already examined orinthe final stages ofexamination and which could
therefore beadopted inthe first half of1979
A.I. Progosa ls_for_a_regul ation_on_grocessing_gr ior_to_customs_dea ranee •
^Umwandl ungsver kehr ")~,
COM (72)1623 final
Transmitted' tothe Council on29December 1972
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of9May1973
Opinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ,meeting of23January 1973
Inthe .case ofcertain categories ofgoods ,thefact that they have undergone
processing entaiUs thereduction ofthecustoms charge which would have been
imposed upon such goods hadthey notbeen processed . ;

-12-
A.2.Progosal_for_a_re2uLat2on_on_the_refund_or_ren;2SSion -of_in]gort <_and_
Doc .COM (75)68§of23December 1975
Transmitted tothe Council on30December 1975
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of14May1976
Opinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee of25May 1976
This isamatter ofdefining the cases inwhich refund orremission ofimport
andexport duties may begranted totheparty concerned (uniformity inthe
application ofthe CCTandofthecommon agricultural policy )andofestablishing
the conditions .,inparticular the time limits ,tobeobserved ingranting
this refund orremission .
A.3.P£ogo saIs_for_a_regu Iation_la^jng_down _condi tions_f or_gost;dea rance_coIlecti^on^
Doc .COM (77)192 final of24May 1977
Transmitted tothe Council on27May 1977 .
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of17January 1978
Opinion oftheEconomic and Social Committee of23November 1978
This isamatter ofdefining those cases where thecustoms authority may
collect retroactively import orexport duties which were not levied atthe
time when they were dueandoflaying down theconditions (inparticular the
time limits )under which action may beinitiated inorder torecover those
duties .
A.4.ProBosai_for_a_re2ylat ion_on_mutual_assistance_between_the_comgetent _
§yii32lliiSS_of_Member_States_and_between_them_and_the_Commi ssion_to_ensure _
th£_correct -aBBlication_of_Cornmunit^_rules_regarding^custorns_and -agriculture i_
COM (73)538 final
Transmitted totheCouncil on25April 1973
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of11December 1973
/ ' -
Theobject ofthis proposal istoensure uniformity ofcustoms procedures as
regards both theapplication ofcommon policies andmeasures tocombat fraud .
•·/··

5-E£222§2i_l2r_d_di££ct2ye_on_t he_harmom zat222_2l_2E2<:£^2£22_l2r_t!]2
release ofgoods forfree circulation
COM (73)2137 final -- •
Transmitted tothe Council on21December 1973
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of27June 1974
φ
Opinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ,meeting of17July 1974
Here itisamatter ofestablishing uniform rules fortherelease ofgoods
.for free circulation irrespective oftheMember State inwhich thegoods
areentered for this procedure andtherefore toeliminate differences in
the way Community firms are -treated . .
Since this procedure isthe legal framework within which each Member State
A
applies anycommercial policy orother measure applicable toimports ,itis
essential for theproper operation ofthe customs union and atthe same
time inorder topermit genuine liberalization ofintra-community trade
that this procedure .beplaced onaCommunity basis .
6.P£ogosal_for_a_di cectjye_on_customs_debt ,
Transmitted totheCouncil on8April 1976 -OJNoC128,10June 1976
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of17September 1976 ,
OJNoC238,11October 1976
Opinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee of27October 1976 .
Amended byCOM (76)596final of12November 1976 .,
Transmitted totheCouncil on17November 1976 -OJNoC279,.25November 1976
This proposal isaimed atdefining theconditions fortheestablisment
andtermination oftheobligation ofpersons liable t§payduties on
imports orexports . , ,
7.Proposal for aregulation amending Counc il„Regulat ion (EEC)_No_17?8 /75
20_£!}£_2!DE2l£aii2Q_ll£®_2l_C2!!HD2D_£ystoms_IariJf_duties_of_educationa lz
^£2en12f2c_and _cuturaj._ma terjiaj.s_ .
COM (78)349 final
Transmitted totheCouncil on26July 1978
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of21October 1978
Thepurpose ofthis proposal istoadapt thepresent provisions of
Regulation (EEC )No1798 /75tothose oftheProtocol totheflorence
Agreement signed inNairobi inNovember 1976 .

-14-
A.8.Progosa l_for_a_regulat2on_on_the_imgortat_ion_f ree_of_Common_Customs _
Tariff duties_of_materia Ls_>sgeciaU^_desi2D£^_i2£_il2f_S^y£§ii2Dz
em^.c^ment_and_social_adyancement _>of_the_handi cagged _
COM (78)348 final 1
Transmitted tothe Council on21July 1978
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of21October 1978
This proposal isaimed attransposing toCommunity level theprovisions
concerning thephysically ormentally handicapped contained intheProtocol
tothe Florence Agreement signed inNairobi inNovember 1976 .
• \
B. Proposals not yet examined orinthe early stages ofexamination ,but which
should beadopted by 1January 1980
B.1.Progos al_for_a_regul ation_defjni ng_tjie_condjt2ons_under_wh_i ch_na tural_or_
!£25*i_0f£§22I_!?3y_be_allowed_to_enter_goods_f or_customs_£urgoses _
Doc .COM (78)724 (transmitted tothe Council on12.12.1978 ) -
Theestablishment ofCommunity provisions inthis matter isurgently
required inorder tofacilitate adoption ofthedirective onthe release
ofgoodsr forfree circulation and,more generally ,inorder toeliminate
differences inthetreatment towhich Community firms arecurrently subject
depending ontheMember State inwhich they carry ontheir activities .
8-2.P£2gos al_for_a_regula tion_on_t he_gr ocedur e_agg Iicable_t o__the__st ores_of _
vessels z_aircraf tand_intenat iona ltrains
COM (78)76final of 1March 1978
Transmitted tothe Council on8March 1978 -0JNoC73,23March 1978
Opinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,sitting of16June 1978
Opinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee -meeting of17May 1978 .
Theadoption ofaCommunity procedure will meet theneed toensure that
theconditions forsupplying Community firms engaged ininternational
transport .areuniform andtoprevent distortion of .competition between
the latter andtheir foreign counterparts ,thenecessary precautions
being taken against abuses .
a
■••/•••

-15-
8.3.,Progosals_for_the_rat2onaljzat2on__of_the_greferent2al_or22in_rules
COM(78)745final
COM(78)746final
:Transmitted totheCouncilon11January1979-
WithregardtotheagreementsconcludedwiththeEFTAcountries,
provisionmustbemadeformorerationalrulesoncumulativetreatmentand
theorigincriteriaforChapters84to92oftheCCCNomenclature,thereby
producingasavinginadministrative costsforfirmswhentheyhaveto
providecustomswithevidenceoftheroriginof.goods.
C.Proposalstobetransmitted totheCouncilin1979
C.1.Pro20sal_for_a_directive_on_the_harmoni^ation_of_exgort_grocedures_for_goods
Theaimistoestablishuniformexportproceduresirrespective ofthe
MemberStateinwhich-thegoodsareenteredforthisprocedureandtherefore
toeliminatedifferences inthewayCommunityfirmsaretreated.
SincethisprocedureisthelegalframeworkwithinwhicheachMember
Stateappliesanycommercialpolicyorothermeasuresapplicabletoexports,
itisessentialfortheproperoperationofthecustomsunionthatitbe
placedonaCommunitybasis.
C.2.P£2Bosa]._for_a_regu lat2on_la^ing_down_the _condit2on_governing_the_issue_of
_^nformat2on_bj/_the_customs_aujthor"iies_9nd_thelegaJ._s22niJi^ance_of_such
informat2on
* • • »
Thisregulationwilldefinetheconditionsunderwhichanindividual may.
requestinformation oncustom'smattersfromtheauthorities andmakes
distinctions accordingtowhetheritisaquestionofprovisionslaiddown*
bylaw,regulationoradministrative actionandbetweeninformation ofa
generalnatureandthatconcerningthetariffclassification ofgoods.
C.3. £!^esconcerning_the_va luationof_goods__
l2£-£y5i2!?5_2y£E 0®®sfollowingtheGATTnegociations .
/
IftheGATTnegotiations onthevaluationofgoodsforcustomspurposes
leadtotheadoptionofanewcodetheCommissionwillmakeappropriate
proposalstobringthenewsystemintoforcebythedateagreedinGATT.
N /
%

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C..Prg20sal_on_the_set 11ement_of_chsgutes
Overandabovethefactthatdisparities inthisfieldcoulddistortthe
conditionsofcompetition withintheCommunityandleadtodeflections of
trade,itisnecessarytoextendlegalprotectiontofirmsinamannerwhith
isbothequitableandeffective.
4
C.5.Progosal^for_a_Councij._regulation_setting_ug_a_Communi t^_s^stem_of_relief s_
1£2!D_£ystoms_duty
Thisregulationwillmakeitpossibletograntexemptionfromcustomsduties
oragricultural leviesinrespectofimportsofcertaingoodsinspecific
circumstances . . .
TheCouncilhasalreadyadoptedanumberofregulationsdealingwithduty-free
arrangements,butafull,unifiedsystemofduty-freearrangments wouldbe
desirable.
Asregardrelieffromdutiesonmilitaryequipment,theCommission,which
iscontinually incontactwiththeMemberStatesunderthearrangements
established bycommonaccord,considersthatprogressinthisfieldwilldepend
partlyontheresultsobtainedunderthemultilateral tradenegotiations
(MTNs)onthedismantling oftariffsonaircraft.
C.6.PronosaIs^for_converting_certain_directives_on_econorni c_custorns_grocedures
Thisisaimedatimplementing theprincipleinvokedearlierinthesection
onbasicobjectives,toestablishcustomslegislation whichisreliableand
offersfulllegalsecurity.
i . ■
C.7.Improving_the_Cornmumty_tr ans2t_system
Aproposalaimedatsimplifyingcertainaspectso#theCommunitytransit
procedurewaslaidbeforetheCouncilon11August1975(OJNo204,6Sep­
tember1975). ~
Ithasnotyetbeenpossibletoadoptthisproposal.Inthelightofexperience
theCommissionhasdecidedprogressively toimprovetheoperationofthissys--
ternbyadoptingorproposinginabalancedfashionmeasurestostreamline
thesystemwherepossible,andtopreventorsanctionirregularities .
Aspartofthisapproach,whichconcernsbothgoodsandpassengertraffic,the
CommissionwillshortlybelayingbeforetheCouncilanewproposaldesigned
toreplacethe1975one. -

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C.8.SirrpIification_oftemporarymoverjjent^in Member_Statesof_Community_
goodssent_fromanotherMember_State_ •
Theintentionistoensurethatgoodsinfreecirculation whichare
usedtemporarily inoneormoreotherMemberStatescanmovefreely
byreplacingnationalprocedures (temporaryexport,transit,temporary
admission,reexport,transit,reimport)byaCommunityprocedurein
ordertoalleviateexistingformalities.
TheCommissionwillbase'itsproposalsontherelevant "provisionsof
theTreatyaswellasonthe6thV.A.T.Directivewhichprovidesfor
thelayingdownofCommunitytaxrulesfortheapplicationofthe
exemptions concerned.
D.Othermeasures
D.1.Measures_which_already_falIwithin_the_resgons_ibi Iityof_the_Committees
on_Rules '
; -
Thisinvolvestheprovisionsforimplementing currentregulations and
directives.
^ ''
ThesemeasureswillbetakenwithintheframeworkoftheCommittees on
Rulesinsofarastheyprovetobenecessaryinordertoensurethat
customslawisuniformlyapplied. ■
D.2.Preparationof_commongositionsat_international_meetings
Theextentofthecustomsmattersdealtwithininternational meetingsand
therealitiesofthecustomsunionmeanthattheCommunityoftenparti­
cipatesactivelyinworkundertakeninthisfield.TheCommissionintends
toincrease,withintheframeworkofexistingprocedures,itsactivities
inthisareainordertofacilitatefurthertheworkingoutofcommon
positions.Suchtaeasureswillcontributetothestrengthening ofthe
Community'spositionintheworld.
D.3.Work^oncustomsmattersin^the^framework_ofagreements^orconventions
Thisworkwillbecarriedout,forinstance,withintheframeworkofrenewal
:oftheLom£ConventionandtheagreementwithYugoslaviaandinorderto
permittheaccessionofnewMemberStates.Itwillalsoinvolvecontinuing
theharmonization oflistsAandBforvariousagreements.

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D.A.EstablishmentoftheIntggratgdTariffof_theEuropean Communities
AtpresentthereisnoCommunityinstrument whichbringstogetherina
single,integrated nomenclature allthestatistical andtariffsubheadings
referredtoinnumerousregulations . ' ■~i
Inthecontextofthecustomsunion,thissituationcreatesseriousdif­
ficulties .Inordertocounterthosedifficulties anintegrated customs -
tariffoftheEuropeanCommunities ("TARIC")mustbepreparedandimple­
mentedtoenabletheCommunity'sCommonCustomsTariffandimport-export
statistics tobeadministered moreeffectively .
Inaddition,itwillbenecessarytomeettheneedsofinternational commer­
cebyproviding amethodofclassification forchemicalproductsinwhich
thereissubstantial trade,bothinthecustomsandstatistical nomenclatures ,
whichwillovercomedifficulties relatedtochemical namesandtheirrelated
linguistic problems.
D.5.Sectora^measures^alread^init iated_in_certajn_sensit ive_areas
ThemeasurewillbecontinuedbytheCommission inclosecooperation with»
thecustomsadministrations .Theyhaveprovedtobeveryusefulandeffec­
tive,forinstance,fordealingwithoperational problemsinthetextiles
andironandsteelsectors.Inaddition,inthefieldofthetextiles
agreements,theCommission intendstopublisha"compendium"tofacilitate
thetasksofadministrations andusers.
D.6.Measures_at_t he_level_of_imglementat ion
Thesemeasures,whichwillbetakeninclosecooperation withtheMember
States'customsadministrations ,wiltservetostrengthenthehomogeneity
ofapplication ofthecustomslaw.Inthis'context,theCommission intends
tocallonhigh-level expertstomonitorthefunctioning ofcustomsregula­
tionsintheMemberStates,withoutprejudicetotheexerciseofthe -
Commission ownresponsabilitiesinthisfield.Itwillalsoencourage
exchanges betweenofficialsofMemberStatesinordertoenableprofessio­
nalknowledgetobeacquiredandtomakeitpossibletoworkincooperation
withthecustomsofficialsvisitedbybecomingfamiliarwiththeirpracti­
calproblems.
D.7.Training
Themereexistenceofcustomslegislation atCommunityleveldoesnotmean
thatsuchlegislationwillbeappliedinthesamespiritandmannerthroughout
theCommunity.TheCommission makesanappropriate contribution tothe
trainingofofficialsresponsible forteachingCommunitymattersineach
MemberStates.