Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION concerning the export of certain steel products from Romania to the European Community for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2002 (double-checking system)

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The purpose of the double-checking system is to improve transparency and to avoid possible diversions of trade. It is founded on the provision in the EU-Romania Europe Agreement [1] allowing either Party to introduce an administrative procedure having as its purpose the rapid provision of information on the trend of trade flows. In 1996 the Parties agreed to introduce such a system for exports of certain steel products from Romania to the Community.

[1] OJ No L 357, 31.12.1994, p. 2.

Until 2001 this double-checking system was each year renewed by common agreement for the period 1 January-31 December. It ended on 31 December 2001 with the expiry of Regulation (EC) No 237/2001. [2]

[2] OJ No L 35, 06.02.2001, p. 1.

At its meeting of 22 January 2002 the bilateral contact group agreed to recommend that the Association Council reintroduce the double-checking system in 2002.

The attached proposal is therefore aimed at reintroducing the double-checking system for the period 1 July-31 December 2002.

2002/0088 (ACC)

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION concerning the export of certain steel products from Romania to the European Community for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2002 (double-checking system)

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,

Whereas:

(1) The Europe Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Romania, of the other part, entered into force on 1 February 1995. [3]

[3] OJ No L 357, 31.12.1994, p. 2.

(2) The Parties have agreed, by Association Council Decision No ..../2002, [4] to reintroduce the double-checking system for the period 1 July-31 December 2002,

[4] See page ... of this Official Journal

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1. For the period 1 July-31 December 2002, in accordance with the provisions of Association Council Decision No ...../2002, imports into the Community of certain iron and steel products originating in Romania, as listed in Annex I, shall be subject to the presentation of an import document issued by the authorities in the Community.

2. The import document shall be made out on a form corresponding to the model set out in Annex II.

3. The classification of the products covered by this Regulation is based on the tariff and statistical nomenclature of the Community (hereinafter referred to as the 'combined nomenclature' or, in abbreviated form, 'CN'). The origin of the products covered by this Regulation shall be determined in accordance with the rules in force in the Community.

4. For the period specified in paragraph 1, imports into the Community of the products listed in Annex I shall also be subject to the issue of an export document issued by the competent Romanian authorities. The importer must present the original of the export document no later than 31 March of the year following that in which the goods covered by the document were shipped.

5. Shipment is considered to have taken place on the date of loading on to the exporting means of transport.

6. The export document shall conform to the model shown at Annex III. It shall be valid for exports throughout the customs territory of the Community.

7. Goods shipped before 1 July 2002 shall be excluded from the scope of this Regulation.

Article 2

1. The import document referred to in Article 1(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 Community importer, wherever established in the 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. An import document issued by one of the competent national authorities listed in Annex IV shall be valid throughout the Community.

3. The importer's application shall include the following elements:

(a) the name and full address of the applicant (including telephone and fax numbers, and any 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 declarant 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 combined nomenclature (CN) code(s),

- the country of origin,

- the country of consignment;

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

(f) the cif value of the goods in euro at the Community frontier by combined nomenclature heading;

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

[5] Under the criteria given in OJ C No 180, 11.07.1991, 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, dated 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. Import documents may be used only for such time as arrangements for liberalisation of imports remain in force in respect of the transactions concerned. Without prejudice to possible changes in the import regulations in force or measures taken in the framework of an agreement or the management of a quota:

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

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

5. The importer shall return import 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:

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

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

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

2. The Member States shall report 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

All reports provided for in these provisions shall be addressed to the Commission of the European Communities and sent electronically via the integrated network set up for this purpose, save where overriding technical reasons provisionally make it necessary to use another means of communication.

Article 6

This Regulation shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply from 1 July 2002.

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

ROMANIA

List of products subject to double-checking (2002)

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX II

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

Extension pages to be attached hereto

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

Extension pages to be attached hereto

ANNEX III

>TABLE POSITION>

>TABLE POSITION>

ANNEX IV

LISTE OVER KOMPETENTE NATIONALE MYNDIGHEDER

LISTE DER ZUSTÄNDIGEN BEHÖRDEN DER MITGLIEDSTAATEN

ÄÉÅÕÈÕÍÓÅÉÓ ÔÙÍ ÁÑ×ÙÍ ÅÊÄÏÓÇÓ ÁÄÅÉÙÍ ÔÙÍ ÊÑÁÔÙÍ ÌÅËÙÍ

LISTA DE LAS AUTORIDADES NACIONALES COMPETENTES

LISTE DES AUTORITES NATIONALES COMPETENTES

ELENCO DELLE COMPETENTI AUTORITA NAZIONALI

LIJST VAN BEVOEGDE NATIONALE INSTANTIES

LISTA DAS AUTORIDADES NACIONAIS COMPETENTES

LUETTELO TOIMIVALTAISISTA KANSALLISISTA VIRANOMAISISTA

FÖRTECKNING ÖVER BEHÖRIGA NATIONELLA MYNDIGHETER

LIST OF THE COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Ministère des Affaires Economiques

Administration des Relations Economiques

Services Licences

Rue Général Leman 60

B-1040 Bruxelles

Fax: +32-2-230 83 22

//

FRANCE

Service des Industries Manufacturières

DIGITIP

12, rue Villiot - Bâtiment LE BERVIL

F-75572 Paris cedex 12

Fax: +33-1-53 44 91 81

Ministerie van Economische Zaken

Bestuur van de Economische Betrekkingen

Dienst Vergunningen

Generaal Lemanstraat 60

B-1040 Brussel

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

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Import/ Export Licensing, Block C

Earlsfort Centre

Hatch Street

Dublin 2

Fax : +353-1-631 28 26

DANMARK

Erhvervsfremme Styrelsen

Erhvervsministeriet

Vejlsøvej 29

DK-8600 Silkeborg

Fax: +45 35 46 64 01

//

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

DEUTSCHLAND

Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle,

(BAFA)

Frankfurter Strasse 29-35

D-65760 Eschborn 1

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

LUXEMBOURG

Ministère des affaires étrangères

Office des licences

BP 113

L-2011 Luxembourg

Téléfax : +352-46 61 38

ÅËËÁÓ

Õðïõñãåßï ÅèíéêÞò Ïéêïíïìßáò

ÃåíéêÞ Ãñáììáôåßá Äéåèíþí Ó÷Ýóåùí

Äéåýèõíóç Äéåèíþí Ïéêïíïìéêþí Ñïþí

ÊïñíÜñïõ 1

GR-105 63 ÁèÞíá

Fax : +301-3286094 //

NEDERLAND

Belastingdienst/Douane centrale dienst voor in- en uitvoer

Postbus 30003, Engelse Kamp 2

NL-9700 RD Groningen

Fax : +31-50 526 06 98

m.i.v. 18.01.2002

Fax : +31-50 5232341

ESPAÑA

Ministerio de Economía

Secretaría General de Comercio Exterior

Paseo de la Castellana 162

E-28046 Madrid

Fax : +34-1-563 18 23/349 38 31 //

ÖSTERREICH

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit

Aussenwirtschaftsadministration

Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 55-57

A-1030 Wien

Fax: +43-1-711 00/8386

PORTUGAL

Ministério da Economia

Direcção-Geral das Relações Económicas Internacionais

Av. da República, 79

P-1000 Lisboa

Fax : 351-1-793 22 10 //

SVERIGE

Kommerskollegium

Box 6803

S-11386 Stockholm

Fax: 46-8-30 67 59

SUOMI

Tullihallitus

PL 512

FIN-00101 Helsinki

Telekopio: + 358 9 614 2852 // UNITED KINGDOM

Department of Trade and Industry

Import Licensing Branch

Queensway House - West Precinct

Billingham, Cleveland

UK-TS23 2NF

Fax : 44-1642-533 557