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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(82)229
Vol.1982/0093

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COΜ(82)229 final
Brussels-5May1982
Recommendation fora
COUNCILDECISION
accepting onbehalfoftheCommunitytheRecommendation ofthe
CustomsCo-operation Councilof16May1979concerning customs
requirements regardingcommercial invoices
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )

Iûawji,lA
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
IntheLightofitspurpose,whichistofacilitateinternational trade
and"toensurethehighestpossibledegreeofharmonisationanduniformity
incustomsmatters,thisRecommendation ,whichdealswithasubjectof
specialinterestforthefunctioning ofcustomsservicesgivenrecent
developments incommunication technology,directlyconcernstheoperation
ofthecustomsunionand,consequently,theimplementation oftheCommunity's
commercialpolicy. v
TheRecommendation wasadoptedbytheCCCinMay1979.TheCommunity
shouldnowadoptitspositionon.it.ItshouldbenotedthatBelgium
hasalreadyacceptedtheRecommendation on10September 1979.This
Recommendation hasbeenexaminedindetailbytherelevantCommission
departments andbyrepresentatives oftheMemberStates.
FollowingthisexaminationitseemspossibletoaccepttheRecommendation
withoutreservation .
InlightofthewishoftheCommunityandtheMemberStatestoannouncethis
acceptance atthenextsessionoftheCustomsCooperation Council,the
decisionacceptingtherecommendation shouldbeadoptedassoonaspossible.
ForthisreasontheCommission,initsconcernforoperational effectiveness
andguidedbythepreviouspracticeoftheCouncilwhenaccepting annexesto
theKyotoConvention,recommendsittoadoptthedecisionconcerning therecom­
mendationoftheCustomsCooperation CouncilonthebasisoftheTreatyasa
whole.
–CONCLUSION
TheCommissionrecorflnTlndsthattheCouncil,
acc-eptwithimmediateeffecttheRecommendation oftherrent
CustomsCooperation Councilconcerning customsrequirements regarding
commercial invoices.

Recommendation for^
COUNCILDECISION
acceptingonbehalfoftheComnunitytne
Recommendation oftheCustomsCo-operstion Councilof16May1979
concerningcustomsrequirements regardingcommercialinvoices
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity
Havingregardtotherecommendation fromtheCommission,
WhereastheRecommendation oftheCustomsCo-operation Councilconcerning
customsrequirements regardingcommercialinvoicescanbeacceptedby
theCommunitywithimmediateeffect,
HASDECIDEDASFOLLOWS:
TheRecommendation of16May1979oftheCustomsCo-operation Council
concerningcustomsrequirements regardingcommercialinvoicesishereby
acceptedonbehalfofthe'Communitywithimmediateeffect.Thetext
ofthesaidRecommendation isproducedintheAnnex.
ThePresidentoftheCouncilEhalldesignatethepersonempoweredto
informtheSecretariat-General oftheCustomsCo-operationCouncilofthe
acceptance bytheCommunitywithimmediateeffectoftheRecommendation
referredtoinArticle 1..,J::.
o
Article 1
Article 2
DoneatBrussels, FortheCouncil,
President

ANNEX
RECOMMENDATION OFTHE
CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL OF16MAY 1979
CONCERNING CUSTOMS REQUIREMENTS
%
REGARDING COMMERCIAL INVOICES
THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL ,^
.a.
DESIRING tofacilitate international trade bymaking itpossible fortrade
circles toemploy modern methods ofdata reproduction andtransmission ,
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT inter ,alia theefforts being made atinternational
level toenable allthedocuments required for aninternational trade
transaction tobeprepared from asingle master bytheone-run method ,
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT theRecommendation concerning signatures and
authentication adopted inMarch 1979 bytheWorking Party onFacilitation
ofInternational Trade Procedures ofthe Economic Commission forEurope .
«
which notes inparticular that the general adoption ofmechanical or
electronic methods ofdata transfer requires changes incurrent practice
regarding handwritten signatures ,
CONSIDERING that the requirement ofasignature onthe commercial invoice
forCustoms purposes does notafford theCustoms anyparti cu'.ar guarantee
ofitsaccuracy ,
RECOMMENDS that Members should :
1.accept commercial invoices produced byanyprocess ,forexample the
one-run method ,incases where thepresentation ofthecommercial
invoice isrequired inconnexion with theclearance ofgoods ;

-2- Annex
2.refrain from requiring asignature ,forCustoms purposes ,oncommercial
invoices presented insupport ofaGoods declaration ,
REQUESTS Memberswho accept this Recommendation tonotify the Secretary
General oftheir acceptance ,ofthedate from which they will apply the
Recommendation ,and ofthe conditions ofitsapplication .TheSecretary
General will transmit this information tothe Customs administrations of
Members .