12. 3.. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 62/5 
3.6. Annex HI 
3.6.1. This Annex should be amended in line with the 
comments made earlier. 
3.6.2. Scope 
The Committee proposes that category N2 vehicles of less 
than 7,5 tons, which are mainly used for trade deliveries in 
urban areas, be excluded from the scope of the Directive. 
Done at Brussels, 19 December 1989. 
1. General comments 
The Committee endorses the proposed Directive whose 
aim, in view of current inconsistencies in the application of 
simplified procedures, is to place all imports into the 
Community on an equal footing. 
The Committee emphasizes the fact that domiciliation and 
simplified declaration procedures, which apply solely to 
imports, may be authorized either simultaneously or 
separately by the competent national authorities. However, 
between applicant firms and the relevant customs author­
ities there must in any case be an agreement covering these 
procedures. This agreement is bilateral and establishes the 
basic principles of the procedures, their application 
conditions and the guarantees necessary 1) to authorize 
release and 2) to complete the formalities for release of 
goods for free circulation. 
(!) OJ No C 235, 13. 9. 1989, p. 16. 3.6.3. Paragraph 6.1. 
This should be amended to read as follows: 
'... rain flaps of non-steered or self-steering wheels that 
are covered by the bodywork floor ...'. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
In view of the economic importance of these procedures, 
the Committee recommends that they be extended 
accordingly to cover export arrangements. 
2. Specific comments 
Without wanting to detract from the positive nature of the 
Opinion, the Committee would point out that although the 
simplified declaration does a great deal to improve firms' 
productivity, it does sometimes entail adverse effects for 
the customs authorities responsible for monitoring sum­
mary declarations. 
Monitoring these declarations sometimes involves con­
siderable extra compilation work, particularly where 
inward and outward processing customs procedures are 
concerned. Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive of 24 July 1979 on the 
harmonization of procedures for the release of goods for free circulation (79/695) (]) 
(90/C 62/03) 
On 6 September 1989, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee under 
Article 100A of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing the 
Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 29 November 1989; the Rapporteur was 
Mr Mourgues. 
At its 272nd Plenary Session (meeting of 19 December 1989), the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion: 
No C 62/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 12. 3. 90 
Against this background, the Committee highlights the 
extra workload which the monitoring of simplified 
declarations, and summary declarations in particular, 
might create for customs authorities. This would be offset 
Done at Brussels, 19 December 1989. 
1. General comments 
1.1. The proposal for a Council Regulation introducing 
the preparatory phase of a Community programme on 
trade electronic data interchange systems (TEDIS) was 
welcomed by the Committee in its Opinion of 26 February 
1987 (2). In so doing the Committee also endorsed the 
general objective of TEDIS. 
1.2. In addition, the Committee Opinion of 15 De­
cember 1988 (3) supported the proposal for a Council 
Decision amending Decision 87/499/EEC introducing a 
communications network Community programme on 
trade electronic data interchange systems (TEDIS) (4), the 
purpose of which was to give EFTA countries the chance to 
take part in the TEDIS programme. The Committee also 
noted that the TEDIS activities already carried out had a 
positive effect. 
1.3. The results of the TEDIS conference held in 
Brussels on 12-13 July 1989 confirmed these points. At the 
(!) OJ No C 285, 11. 11. 1989, p. 6. 
(2) OJ No C 105, 21. 4. 1987. 
(3) Doc. COM(88) 523 final. 
(4) OJ No C 56, 6. 3. 1989. by the fact that application of these simplified procedures 
would save an equivalent amount of work in import 
clearance operations. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
same time it was shown that TEDIS's general aim of 
making trade and administrative electronic date inter­
change networks compatible had been successful. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. The Committee firmly supports the new proposal, 
because the relevant countries' involvement in TEDIS 
could strengthen existing cooperation effectively and 
prevent the possible creation of new trade barriers. 
2.2. Since the objectives of the TEDIS programme listed 
in Annex A to the Commission document are an integral 
part of the agreement, the Committee thinks that the 
further development of TEDIS would benefit greatly from 
the planned cooperation with non-Community countries. 
2.3. The positive impact of cooperation on 
— the development of telecommunications for trade 
purposes, Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of an agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Austria, the Republic of 
Finland, the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden and the 
Swiss Confederation on trade electronic data interchange using the communications networks 
(TEDIS) (!) 
(90/C 62/04) 
On 30 November 1989 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned 
proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing the 
Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 29 November 1989. The Rapporteur was 
Mr Nierhaus. 
At its 272nd Plenary Session (meeting of 19 December 1989) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion by a unanimous vote: