Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending, for the third time, Council Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 concerning the interruption of economic and financial relations between the European Community and Iraq

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 imposes financial or economic sanctions on Iraq. The Regulation has been amended twice, once in 2002 and most recently by means of Commission Regulation (EC) No 208/2003 of February 2003.

(2) In its Annex I, the Regulation sets out a list of competent authorities through which notifications and applications intended for the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) of the Secretariat-General of the United Nations or for the Committee established by Resolution 661(1990) of the Security Council of the United Nations, should be sent, and includes an address for the Commission with a view to exchanging information between Member States and the Commission.

(3) Finland requested that an additional competent authority be included in this Annex, the United Kingdom requested that the address details of its competent authority be amended and, as a result of personnel changes, the address details concerning the Commission have to be amended.

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending, for the third time, Council Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 concerning the interruption of economic and financial relations between the European Community and Iraq

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 60 and 301 thereof,

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

[1] OJ C ..., ..., p. ...

Whereas:

(1) Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 [2] lists the competent authorities through which notifications and applications intended for the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) of the Secretariat-General of the United Nations or for the Committee established by Resolution 661(1990) of the Security Council of the United Nations, should be sent, and includes an address for the Commission with a view to exchanging information between Member States and the Commission.

[2] OJ L 337, 27.12.1996, p.1. The Regulation was last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 208/2003, OJ L 28, 4.2.2003, p. 26.

(2) Finland requested that an additional competent authority be included in this Annex, the United Kingdom requested that the address details of its competent authority be amended and, as a result of personnel changes, the address details concerning the Commission have to be amended.

(3) Annex I should, therefore, be amended,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 is hereby amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 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

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2465/1996 is amended as follows:

(1) The following authority shall be added under the heading 'Finland':

"Kauppa- ja teollisuusministeriö/ Handels- och industriministeriet

PL/PB 32

FIN-00023 Valtioneuvosto/ Statsrådet

Tel.: 358 9 16001

Fax: 358 9 160 64622"

(2) The address details under the heading 'United Kingdom' shall be replaced with:

"Department of Trade and Industry

Export Control and Non-Proliferation Directorate

3-4, Abbey Orchard Street

London SW1P 2JJ

United Kingdom

Tel. (44-207) 215 0510

Fax (44-207) 215 0511"

(3) The address details under the heading 'European Community' shall be replaced with:

"Commission of the European Communities

Directorate-General for External Relations

Directorate CFSP

Unit A.2: Legal and institutional matters for external relations - Sanctions

CHAR 12/163

B - 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

Tel. (32-2) 295 81 48, 296 25 56

Fax (32-2) 296 75 63

E-mail: relex-sanctions@cec.eu.int"