Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 of 7 March 1994 lays down common rules for imports of certain textile products from third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules.

The amendments to Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 of 7 March 1994 that the Commission proposes are the following:

1. The common quantitative restrictions for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia have been split in line with the proposal of the Commission for the renewal of Council Regulation (EC) No 70/97, which establishes the splitting of existing global concessions into country specific ones for the two countries above. Based on the trade patterns and actual utilisation of quantitative limits for the last three years (1996-98), the proposed split is 70% Croatia and 30% Bosnia-Herzegovina. Consequently, Annexes IIIB and VI of Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 have been amended accordingly. [1]

[1] See enclosed tables for detailed calculations.

2. The quantitative restrictions have also been increased by the same rates (country and category specific) as applied in the Council Decision (EC) 90/649 of 24 September 1990 concerning the conclusion of a supplementary protocol to the co-operation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on trade in textile products. Such increases are part of the possible improvements to current measures called for by the General Affairs Council of 13 September 1999. [2]

[2] Idem

3. The 1999 quantitative restrictions for Category 6 (trousers, slacks, shorts) have been increased to absorb pending import requests from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, the quotas for that Category having been exhausted.

1999/0278 (ACC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL REGULATION

amending Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules

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 [3],

[3] OJ C &, &, p. &

Whereas:

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 of 7 March 1994 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules [4], as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1457/97 [5], and in particular its Annexes IIIB and VI, establishes the annual quantitative limits for certain products originating in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia,

[4] OJ L67, 10.3.1994, p.1

[5] OJ L 199, 26.7.1997, p.6

(2) Council Regulation (EC) No. &/99 of .. 1999 concerning the Autonomous Import Regime applicable to products originating in former Yugoslav Republics [6] introduces the splitting of the existing global concessions into country specific ones for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia,

[6] OJ L .., .. 1999, p; &

(3) It is appropriate to also follow this approach for textiles products, and thus to split the existing common quantitative restrictions into country specific ones for Bosnia-Herzegovina (30%) and Croatia (70%) according to the trade patterns and actual utilisation of quantitative limits for the last three years (1996-98), and therefore to amend Annexes IIIB and VI to Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94,

(4) The General Affairs Council of 13 September 1999 invited the Commission to examine possible improvements to the current measures,

(5) It is therefore appropriate to increase the quota levels for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, taking as a basis the quota growth rate per category which was foreseen by in a supplementary protocol to the co-operation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on trade in textile products, concluded by Council Decision (EC) 90/649 of 24 September 1990, [7]

[7] OJ L 352, 15.12.1990, p.120

(6) The quota levels for Category 6 for the year 1999 for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia should be increased in order to absorb certain pending import requests,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annexes IIIB and VI to Council Regulation (EC) No 517/94 shall be replaced by those appearing in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

In order to accommodate certain additional requests for import authorisations made in 1999, in Annex IIIB under "Republics of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia", under Category 6 "Quantity" "1 415" will be replaced by "1 465".

Article 3

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

Article 1 shall apply with effect from 1 January 2000.

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

"ANNEX IIIB

ANNUAL COMMUNITY QUANTITATIVE LIMITS REFERRED TO IN THE FOURTH INDENT OF ARTICLE 2(1)

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ANNEX II

"ANNEX VI

OUTWARD PROCESSING TRAFFIC

ANNUAL COMMUNITY QUANTITATIVE LIMITS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 4

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