ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(76)77
Vol.1976/0028

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COMMISSION OrTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(76)77 final
Brussels ,8March 1976
Recommendation
for a
COUNCIL DECISION
ontheopening ofnegotiations foran
agreement between theEuropean Economic
Community ,Austria and Switzerland to
extend theapplication ofthe rules on
Community transit
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
C0I:(76 )77final

-1-
I.INTRODUCTION
• ,, –TheAgreements concluded on23and 30November 1972 ^'v'
between the EEC and the Swiss Confederation and theRepublic of
Austria ontheapplication oftheregulations onCommunity transit
entered into force on1st January 1974 .Whereas each Agreement
simplified theformalities tobecompleted when goods cross frontiers
itisclear that this aimhasnotbeen achieved inrespect ofgoods
which aswell ascrossing Community territory also cross both
Austria and Switzerland .Since each Agreement isstrictly bi­
lateral there are noprovisions inrespect ofsuch traffic .
Erplanatory discussion between customs services and the
Commission atJoint "Community transit "Working Groups EEC-Austria
andEEC-Switzerland arising from thecorresponding Joint Committees
have led tothe conclusion that anAgreement toextend application
oftheregulations onCommunity transit tothe traffic referred to
above could meet thewishes ofthe three parties concerned .The
essential matter fornegotiation will betoextend therights and
obligations under each agreement tothe third non-contracting party .
II.Negotiating principles
(a).Scope oftheagreement tobeconcluded .
Theimplementation ofprovisions under the EEC-Swiss and the
EEC-Austrian transit agreements must beextended totraffic
moving between twopoints intheCommunity butwhich also
crosses part ofAustria and Switzerland inorder toreduce to
aminimum the formalities applicable tosuch traffic .
Theagreement will also have toprovide that regulations on
Community transit may beapplied toother types oftraffic
which also crosses Austrian and Swiss territories ..-
(1)OJNoL365 ,31.12.1973 ,p.226
(2)CJNoL58,28.2.1974 ,p.40

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("b)Undertaking tobegiven byAustria a,ndSwitzerland
Austria and Switzerland ,intheir relations with one
another ,benefit from thesame rights andsatisfy the
same cbligations asdoes oneMember State totheother .
The special provisions intheEEC-Switzerland Agreement
which donot appear intheEEC-Austria Agreement will
.apply asbetween Austria and Switzerland .
III .Management ofthe Agreement
Problems which arise under theAgreement proposed will be
dealt with bythe existing Joint Committees .
IV.Legal basis
The Commission considers that Article 113 oftheTreaty provides
thebasis for the conclusion oftheAgreement which istobe
negotiated .
V.Conclusion
The Commission recommands theCouncil .toapprove under Article
113(3 )oftheTreaty ,theopening ofnegotiations with Austria
and Switzerland with aview to 'the conclusions' ofatri-partite
agreement .toextend theimplementation ofCommunity transit
regulations .
(3)These provisions relate toadministrative assistance
including criminal proceedings (Article 4(3 )and
Annex IIoftheAgreement ),private warehouses asunderstood intheSwiss Federal customs Law .(Art 5(1 )
and Liechtenstein .

Recommendation
for a
"CUUNCIL DECISION
ontheopening ofnegotiations foran
agreement between theEuropean Economic
Community ,Austria andSwitzerland to
extend theapplication oftherules on
Community transit •
THE .COUNCIL OP THEEUROPEAN COMMUNITES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic
Community ,andinparticular Article 113thereof ,
Having regard totherecommendation from theCommission ,
Whereas theAgreement between theEECandSwitzerland ^^andthe
2)EECandAustrian v',signed respectively on23and 30November 1972 ,
ontheapplication oftherules onCommunity transit were aimed at
simplifying theformalities tobecompleted atthe time ofcrossing
frontiers inrespect ofthe carriage ofgoods through theterritory
oftheCommunity and theterritory ofSwitzerland orofAustria ;
Whereas this aim has not been achieved inthe case oftraffic which
passes through the territory ofthe Community and the territories of
both Switzerland andAustria ,since each Agreement isstrictly
bilateral ;
Whereas itisintheinterest oftheparties toboth these
Agreements toextend their application totraffic which passes
through both Switzerland andAustria ;
HAS DECIDED :
(1)OJNoL365 ,31.12.1973 ,p.226
(2)

-2-
Sole Article
The Commission isauthorised tonegotiate anAgreement between
theEuropean Economic Committee and the Swiss Confederation
and theRepublic ofAustria toextend theapplication ofthe
rules onCommunity transit .These negotiations shall becarried
outaccording tothedirectives setoutintheAnnex ,andshall
besubject toany further directives .
TheCommission shall conduct these negotiations onconsultation
with andwith theassistance oftheSpeoial Committee provided
forinArticle 113 ofthe Treaty .
Done atBrussels ,
For the Council
The President

ANNEX
DIRECTIVES
I.Scope ofthe agreement tobeconcluded
Theapplication oftheEEC-Swiss and theEEC-Austrian
transit agreements must beextended tocover traffic
between twopoints within theCommunity which passes
through both Austria andSwitzerland ,inorder to
reduce toaminimum the formalities applicable to
such traffic .
Theagreement will also have toprovide that rules on
Community transit may beapplied toanyother type of
goods traffic which passes through both Austrian and
Swiss territories .
II.Undertaking tobegiven byAustria and Switzerland
Austria andSwitzerland ,intheir relations with one
another ,benefit from the same rights andundertake
the same obligations asdoes oneMember State tothe
others .Thespecial provisions intheEEC-Switzerland
Agreement which donot appear intheEEC-Austria
Agreement will apply asbetween Austria and Switzerland .
III .Management oftheAgreement
Problems which arise under theproposed Agreement will
bedealt with bytheexisting Joint Committees .