ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)158
Vol.1977/0057

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Conformément aurèglement (CEE, Euratom) n°354/83 duConseil du1erfévrier 1983
concernant l'ouverture aupublic desarchives historiques delaCommunauté économique
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Community andtheEuropean Atomic Energy Community (OJL43,15.2.1983, p.1),as
amended byRegulation (EC, Euratom) No1700/2003 of22September 2003 (OJL243,
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InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr.354/83 desRates vom 1.
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Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L43vom 15.2.1983,
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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77)158 final
Brussels,4May1977
Proposalfora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
ontheintroduction intheCommunityofjoint
stocksofcrudeoilandpetroleumproducts
Proposalfora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
concerningthecreationineachMemberStateof
organizations responsible forstoringcrudeoil
and/orpetroleumproductsandonthefinancingof
theseorganizations
■.,\■
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0MC77)158final 1

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
The Council Directive of20December 1968 (68/414/EEC )foresees the
possibility ofestablishing stocks intheterritory ofaMember State
onbehalf ofundertakings established inanother Member State ,within the
framework ofinter-governmental agreements .
Despite theexistence ofsuch agreements ,theoptimal use isnotmade
ofthemost favourable possibilities forstorage ofexcess capacity
existing intheCommunity .
Itiscertain that theestablishment ofcommon storage capacities -listed
atCommunity level andaccessible toundertakings inallMember States -
would tend toimprove the use factor .
Consequently ,theCouncil isasked toapprove theattached proposal
for adirective .

Proposal for a
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
ontheintroduction intheCommunity ofjoint
stocks ofcrude oil andpetroleum products
THECOUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
and inparticular Article 103thereof .
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Whereas Council Directive 68/414/EECof20December 1968 imposing an
obligation onMember States ofthe EECtomaintain minimum stocks ofcrude
(1)oil and/orpetroleum products ,asamended' byDirective 72/425/EECof
19December 197^obliges Member States tomaintain aminimum levelof
stocks corresponding toatleast 90days' average daily internal consumptio
Whereas there are intheMember States oftheCommunity storage capacities
which arenot always put tooptimum use;whereas these storage capacities
could bebetter used ifthey were established ascommon storage capacities ,
available tothose undertakings which aresubject intheMember States to
obligations tomaintain stocks under national provisions made under the
above Directive ;
Whereas thequantities which anundertaking inoneMember State may
stock inacommon storage capacity located inanother Member State maynot
exceed 20%ofthe stock which that undertaking isobliged tomaintain ,
unless prior authorization isobtained ;
Whereas Member States must check the stocks placed inthe common storage
capacities ,
(1)0JNoL308,23.12.1968 ,p.14.
(2)0JNoL291,28.12.1972 ,p.154

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
Article 1
1.Member States shall permit theundertakings which aresubject to
obligations tomaintain stocks oncrude oil and/orpetroleum products
under national provisions made under Directive 68/414/EECtosatisfy
such obligations tomaintain stocks incommon storage capacities .
2.Common storage capacities shall mean allstorage capacities authorized
assuch under Article 2andpublished bytheCommission intheOfficial
Journal oftheEuropean Communities under Article 3.
3.The common storage capacities shall beavailable toundertakings of
theMember States onanon-discriminatory basis .
4.Theconditions ofuseofthecommon storage capacities shall beagreed
between the contracting parties .
Article 2
1.Member States shall authorize undertakings with storage capacities
available toestablish them ,wholly orinpart ,andfor afixed period ,
ascommon storage capacities .
2.TheMember State concerned mayonly refuse togrant anauthorization requested
byanundertaking iftheestablishment ofthe storage capacities as
common storage capacities would interfere with theMember State 's
obligation tomaintain stocks arising under Directive 68/414/EEC .
Anydecision refusing authorization sJiall give thereasons for
such refusal .
5.Anydecision authorizing theestablishment ofcommon storage capacities
shall state their location and the duration oftheir use .

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4.EachdecisionshallbenotifiedtotheCommission .
Article 3
TheCommissionshallpublishintheOfficialJournaloftheEuropean
Communities commonstoragecapacities togetherwithdetailsoftheir
locationandthedurationoftheiruse.
Article4
1.Anyquantityofcrudeoiland/orpetroleumproductsstockedbyan
undertaking whichissubjecttoanobligationtomaintainstocksin
acommonstoragecapacitylocatedinanotherMemberStatewhichexceeds
20%ofthestockwhichitisobligedtomaintainshallbethesubject
ofapriorauthorization ,whichshallgivereasons .inthecaseofa
refusalbytheMemberStateinwhichtheundertaking isbased.
2.EachdecisionshallbenotifiedtotheCommission .
Article 5
1.MemberStatesshallensurethatstocksplacedincommonstorage
capacitiesfortheaccountofundertakings inotherMemberStates
arechecked.
2.TheyshallnotifytheMemberStatesconcerned andtheCommission,
within60daysofthe.endofeachmonth,ofthevolumesofall
stockssoplaced,brokendownbyMemberStates.
3.TheMemberStatesconcerned maybymutualagreementfixthe
frequencyoftheremovalsfromstocksthusestablished tobemade
inaccordancewithDirective 68/414/EEC,afterconsulting the
Commission .

Article6
MemberStatesshalladoptallnecessarylaws,regulations andadministrative
provisionstoapplythisDirective,notlaterthan
MemberStatesshallinformtheCommission ofallsuchmeasurestaken.
Artiele7
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
ThestorageobligationresultingfromtheDirectiveof20December1968,
andtheDirectiveof19December1972amendingit,constitutes atpresent
aconsiderable financialburdenfortheundertakings,particularly since
theriseinoilprices.
Itiscertainthatsettingupstorageorganizations intheMemberStates-
financedbymeansofchargesreflectedintheconsumerpricesofthe
productsconcerned anddisposedofontheinternalmarket-wouldnaturally
reducetheobligatory storagechargesfortheparticipating undertakings .
Consequently ,theCouncilisaskedtoapprovetheattached
foradirective .proposaI

Proposal fora
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
onthecreation ineach Member State oforganizations
responsible forstoring crude oiland/orpetroleum
products and onthefinancing ofthese organizations
THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
and inparticular Article 103thereof ,
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Whereas Council Directive 68/414/EECof20December 1968 imposing anobligation
onMember States oftheEECtomaintain minimum stocks ofcrude oiland/or
petroleum products ^\asamended byDirective 72/425/EECof19December 1972^^,
obliges Member States tomaintain aminimum level ofstocks corresponding toat
least 90days' average daily internal consumption ;
Whereas thestorage ofcrude oiland/orpetroleum products places aconsiderable
financial burden ontheundertakings which are subject tothe obligation to
maintain stocks under national provisions made under theabove Directive ,
particularly because ofincreases inoilprices ;
Whereas theobligation tomaintain stocks towhich theundertakings are
subject may ,wholly orinpart ,beassured ineach Member State byanon-
profit making organization responsible forcarrying out ,fortheaccount of
theparticipating undertakings ,theactual storage and/orthefinancial
management ofsuch storage ;
Whereas thesaid organizations should befinanced bymeans offees paid by
theparticipating undertakings inproportion tothequantities stored ;
Whereas the amount ofthese fees and their bases ofcalculation should have
theprior approval oftheMember States inwhich theorganization isbased ;
^OJNoL308 ,23.12.1968 ,p.14^OJNoL291,28.12.1972 ,p.154

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Whereastheundertakings takingpartintheorganizations shouldbeable
torecoverthesefeesintheconsumerpricesoftherelevantpetroleum
productswhicharedisposedofontheinternalmarket;
Whereastheamountsandbasesofcalculation ofthefeesmustbeharmon­
izedo»theCommunitylevel,
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article1
1.MemberStatesshallpermittheundertakings whicharesubjecttothe
obligationtomaintainstocksofcrudeoiland/orpetroleumproducts
undernationalprovisionsmadeunderDirective68/414/EECtoentrust
theoperationsrelatingtosuchstoragetonon-profitmakingstorage
organizations.
2.Thesaidorganizations :
-shallbegrantedlegalpersonality andfinancialautonomy,
-maybemaderesponsible bytheparticipating undertakings forcarrying
out,whollyorinpart,theactualstorageand/orthefinancial
managementofsuchstorage,
-shallbefinancedbymeansoffeespaidbytheparticipating under­
takingsandcalculatedinproportiontothequantitiesplacedin
storage.
3.Tliecefeesshallcoverthestoragecostsandshallbefixedforeach
categoryofproductreferredtoinArticle3ofDirective68/414/EEC
and,togetherwiththeirbasesofcalculation ,shallrequiretheprior
approvaloftheGovernmentconcerned.

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Article2
MemberStatesshallpermitthefeesreferredtoinArticle1to"be
recoveredintheconsumerpricesoftherelevantpetroleumproducts
whicharedisposedofontheinternalmarket.Theyshallcheckthe
feesleviedbytheorganizations .
Article3
MemberStatesandtheCommissionshallperiodically consulteachother
toensuretheharmonization oftheamountofthefeesandoftheirbases
ofcalculation .
Article4
MemberStatesshalladoptallnecessarylaws,regulations andadministrative
provisionstoapplythisDirective,notlaterthan
MemberStatesshallinformtheCommissionofallsuchmeasurestaken.'
Article5
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.