ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)427
Vol.1977/0137

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77)427final
Brussels,13September1977
Proposal
foraCouncilRegulation (EEC)
establishing ceilingsandCommunitysurveillance
ofimportsofcertainproductsoriginating
inMalta(1978)
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission)
COM(77)427final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
The 1971 Agreement between theEuropean Economic Community andMalta ,
asamended bytheAdditional Protocol tothat Agreement ,provides ,in
particular inrespect ofindustrial products ,fortheabolition ofthe
duties laid down intheCommon Customs Tariff .Notwithstanding this
provision ,special arrangements exist for anumber ofsensitive products :
thevolume ofsuch products which may beimported free ofduties is
limited toanannual ceiling .When this ceiling isreached ,the -customs
duties applicable tothird countries may bereimposed bytheCommunity
until the end ofthe calendar year .
The initial volumes oftheannual ceilings are fixed bytheamended
Agreement itself .Each year these ceilings are reopened andtheir level
isincreased by5%.
Theimplementation ofthesystem ofceilings andtheoption ofreintro­
ducing customs duties require theadoption ofprecise common rules to
beapplied uniformly byall theMember States .These requirements may be
met bysetting upaCommunity system ofsurveillance ofactual imports
from Malta .Tothat end theMember States must take appropriate measures
topermit the rapid collection ofstatistical returns forthewhole
Community .
Inthis connection imports oftheproducts inquestion should berecorded
only asandwhen they areentered forhome useaccompanied byamovement
certificate conforming tothe rules oftheAgreement referred toin1above .
The returns will bedrawn upbyeach Member State atthe end ofeach month
andforwarded before thefifteenth day thefollowing month tothe
Commission inorder toenable the latter tosend bytelex toall the
Member States acomprehensive product -by-product statement oftheimports
inquestion effected during thepreceding month .Thesurveillance system
will require quick action and close cooperation between the relevant
departments oftheMember States and theCommission .Since theproducts
inquestion belong tothesensitive products category andduty-free
imports inexcess oftheceilings maydisturb theCommunity market ,itis
absolutely essential that all theMember States observe strictly the
abovementioned time limit offifteen days .

Thefollowing procedure will beused forsetting intrain themachinery
forreintroducing duties :assoon asone ofthecomprehensive monthly
statements compiled bytheCommission showj/sthat 75%oftheceiling
fixed for agiven product hasbeen reached ,theCommission will inform
theMember States andconsultations may take place ,inparticular
within the Economic Tariff Problems Group ,either atthe request ofa
Member State orontheCommission 'sowninitiative .Thepurpose ofthese
consultations will betoexamine ineach individual case whether "the
customs duties applicable tothird countries should bereimposed when
the ceiling isactually reached .
Imports oftheproduct inquestion will continue tobethesubject of
monthly returns or,iftheCommission sorequests ,ofatelex message
covering each period oftendays .This message must reach the
Commission within five days .
*
The Commission canthus take within theshortest possible time the
measures required fortheadoption ofaregulation reintroducing customs
duties inrespect of Malta until theend ofthecalendar year .In
that event ,thecustoms duties ontheproduct inquestion would naturally
bereimposed within the time limit laid down bytheregulation ending
exemption from duties .
3.Theattached proposal provides forthedelegation bythe Council tothe
Commission ofthepower toapply the rule onceilings and the reintroduc­
tion ofduties .
Theproposal for aregulation merely outlines howthese powers are
tobeexercised sothat themachinery tobeused may beadjusted flexibly
and rapidly inconsultation with theMember States .Again with aview to
maximum efficiency andrapidity ,theproposal lays down that theCommission
will beresponsible forreintroducing ,inrespect ofMalta ,theduties
applicable tothird countries .
ANNEX :
Proposal for aCouncil Regulation .

Proposalfor
COUNCILREGULATION (EEC)
establishing ceilingsandCommunitysurveillance ofimports
ofcertainproductsoriginating inMalta(1978)
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
andinparticularArticle113thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
WhereastheAgreementestablishing anassociation betweentheEuropean
EconomicCommunity andMalta(1),asamendedbytheAdditional Protocol
tothatAgreement (2),makesprovisionforthetotalabolitionofcustoms
dutiesinrespectoftheproductstowhichtheAgreementapplies;whereas,
however,foranumberofproducts,exemptionfromdutiesislimitedto
ceilingsabovewhichthecustomsdutiesapplicabletothirdcountries may
bereintroduced ;whereastheceilingstobeappliedin1978shouldtherefore
bedetermined;whereastheapplication ofceilingsrequiresthattheCommu­
nityberegularlyinformedofthetrendofimportsoftheproductsinques­
tionoriginating inMalta;whereasitisthereforedesirablethatimports
oftheseproductsbesubjectedtoasystemofsurveillance .
Whereasthisobjective maybeachievedbymeansofanadministrative procedure
basedonsettingoffimportsoftheproductsinquestionagainsttheceilings
atCommunitylevel,asandwhentheseproductsareenteredforhomeuse;
whereasthisadministrative procedure mustmakeprovisionforthepossibility
ofcustomstariffdutiesbeingreintroduced assoonastheceilingsare
reachedatCommunitylevel;
Whereasthisadministrative procedurerequirescloseandparticularly rapid
cooperation betweentheMemberStatesandtheCommission;whereasthe
lattermust,inparticular,beabletofollowtheprogressofquantities
••■I999
(1)OJNoL61,14.3.1971,p.2.
(2)OJNoL

-2-
setoffagainst theceilings andkeep theMember States informed ;whereas this
cooperation has tobeparticularly close since theCommission must beable to
take adequate measures toreintroduce customs tariff duties whenever one ofthe
ceilings isreached ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
Article 1
1.From 1January until 31December 1978 ,imports ofproducts originating
inMalta listed intheAnnex shall besubject toannual ceilings and
Community Surveillance .
Thedescription oftheproducts referred tointhefirst paragraph ,
their tariff headings andstatistic numbers andthe levels oftheceilings
aregiven intheAnnex .
2.Quantities shall besetoffagainst theceilings asandwhen products
areentered forhome useaccompanied byamovement certificate confor­
ming totherules contained intheProtocol concerning thedefinition
oftheconcept of'originating products' andmethods ofadministrative
cooperation annexed totheProtocol laying down certain provisions re­
lating totheAgreement establishing anassociation between theEuropean
Economic Community andMalta (1).
Goods shall "be .setoffagainst theceiling only ifthemovement certificate
issubmitted before the date onwhich customs duties arereimposed .
The extent towhich aceiling hasbeen reached shall bedetermined at
Community level onthebasis ofimports setoffagainst itinthemanner
defined inthepreceding subparagraphs .
The Member States shall inform the Commission atthe intervals and within
thetime limits specified inparagraph 4ofimports effected inaccordance
with the above rules .
3.Assoon astheceilings have been reached ,theCommission mayadopt a
Regulation reimposing until theendofthecalendar ydar thecustoms
duties applicable tothird countries . ,
•■•/ •••
(1)OJNoL111 ,28.4.1976 ,p.3

-3-
4.Member States shall forward tothe Commission not later than the fifteenth
day ofeach month statements ofthequantities setoffduring thepreceding
month .They shall ,iftheCommission sorequests ,make upsuch statements
forperiods oftendays andforward them within five clear days of
expiry ofthepreceding ten-day period .
Article 2
TheCommission shall take ,inclose cooperation with theMember States ,
such measures asmaybenecessary forpurposes ofapplication ofthis Regulation .
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on1January 1978 .
This Regulation shall bebinding initsentirety anddirectly applicable
I •
inall Member States .
Done atBrussels , For the Council
The President

, 4 ANNEX
LISTOFPRODUCTS SUBJECTTOIMPORTCEILINGSIN1978
OrdejrNoCCT.:headingNo Description Nimexe
codeLevelof
ceiling
(tonnes)
1 2 3 4 5
IM155.05 Cottonyarn,notputupfor
retailsale55.05
allNos1.260
IM255.09 Otherwovenfabricsofcotton55.09
allNos105
IM356.04 Man-madefibres(disconti-
nuousorwaste),carded,com-
bedorotherwisepreparedfor
spinning56.04
alleNos840
Iη460.05 Outergarmentsandother
articles,knittedor
crocheted,notelastic
norrubberised60.05
alleNos227
IM561.01 Men'sandboysoutergarments61.01
allNos856

c:v-\::ALSTATEMENT
1.Budget line concerned :Ch.12Art.120
2.Leqal basis :Article 113
3.Title ofthe tariff measure :
Proposal foraCouncil Regulation (EEC)establishing ceilingpand
Community supervision ofimports ofcertain products originating in
Malta (1978 )
4.Objectives :
Fulfilment ofacontractual obligation (EEC-Malta Agreement )
5.Method ofcalculation :
-NoofCCT :55.05 55.09 56.04 60.05 61.01
-level ofceilirgs •1260 t105 "t840t227t656t
-Quota duty rate : free
-Duty rate CCT :4"to6%13to6.5to10.5 to17%
15%10%18%
6.Loss ofreceipts :1751000EUR
Average cifprice Average rate of volume
EUR/t dutv in^ int
55.05 1520 6 1260
55.09 4120 14 105
56.04 1050 9 840
60.05 13.180 14 227
61.01 .7.410 17 856
/